Electronic appliance control method and electronic appliance control device

ABSTRACT

[Technical Problem] A conventional robot cleaner have difficulty in recognizing human presence in a target area and/or a user condition (for example, whether or not the user is in sleep) by an autonomous drive sensor therein alone. And the conventional robot cleaner is inconvenient for users because the operation mode of such robot cleaners must be temporally set by the user who takes the trouble to check the another human presence and/or condition in the target area. Thus, the present application presents a control method of a home appliance and/or a control device of a home appliance to improve the user convenience. 
     [Solution to Problem] A condition control of a robot cleaner is performed or service is provided with a user using the robot cleaner to improve the convenience of the user, wherein various data items obtained through a network connection are used in the condition control or service providing to estimate/determine a behavior, condition, or request of the user. Specifically, the operation of the robot cleaner is controlled based on operations of other associated devices disposed in the same room where the robot cleaner runs.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a technology to acquiredata using various sensors installed in public and/or domesticfacilities and/or to control various items based on the acquired data,namely, a machine-to-machine (M2M) applied technology or an Internet ofThings (IoT) applied technology.

BACKGROUND

As disclosed in non-patent literature 1, the global standardization ofthe M2M or IoT applied technology is now in progress. An aim of thisstandardization is to determine a universal standard to collect and/ormanage data obtained from various sensors comprehensively and/museresults from the data in various services.

CITATION LIST Non Patent Literature [Non Patent Literature 1]

-   D. Boswarthick et. al., M2M Communications: A Systems Approach    (2012, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

As disclosed in non-patent literature 1, in previous attempts atstandardization, acquiring data from sensor-equipped devices for lateruse among services is to be a precondition. Furthermore, to respond tothe need for a universal standard, data obtained from various sensorsmust be handled comprehensively. And such a standard must accommodatefuture variations of sensors to be incorporated in devices as technologyprogress in the sensor-equipped device field, so that the determinedstandard can be continuously used in the future. As can be understoodfrom the above, the technical contradiction between accommodating sensorvariety and achieving a universal standard is difficult to achieve.Furthermore, the standard must guarantee universality flexibility andextensibility of sensor-equipped devices to correspond to futurevariations of the sensors. This is a substantial stumbling block in thestandardization process.

The current state shows four technical problems mentioned below. Firstproblem is accuracy of data acquisition. Accuracy of data to be acquiredfor use in services greatly depends on power on/off state of eachsensor-equipped device because the accuracy of data reduces when theamount of sensor-equipped devices providing sensor data decreases. Inorder to select suitable service content, data obtained from varioussensors must be analyzed altogether to estimate/determine conditions ina certain system or behavior and condition of a user. However, when mostof devices are turned of fin a network system, the amount of data to beacquired decreases significantly shat the accuracy of theestimation/determination also decreases significantly.

The second problem is an important requirement to handle futurevariations of functions of sensor-equipped devices in the future. Forexample, considering a TV, its functions have been limited to receivingbroadcasts and displaying images before, and a communication standardonly to sense display conditions of TV was a target of consideration. Incontrast, Japanese high-class TVs include a recording function nowadays.Furthermore, some high-class TVs have a data communication functionusing a network line. Moreover, although they are not so commerciallywidespread, unaided three-dimensional televisions (3D-TVs) can acquirepositional data of viewers. Furthermore, in the near future, TVs mayinclude a light sensor to optimize brightness of a display screen. Ifthe standard is updated every time whenever anew function is given toTVs, it takes too much time to remodify the current standard, and makerswould not make their new devices responsive to the new functions in atimely manner. Alternately, if a standard is prepared in advance tocorrespond to various possible functions of TVs to be produced in thefuture, such a standard will be redundant and conformance to thestandard in a device will be complicated.

The third problem is redundancy and duplication in communication data.Recent communication standards currently used are divided into smallhierarchical levels for universality and extensibility (FIG. 32) andaccount for redundant communication data structure sometimes includingduplicated parts. A multi-leveled communication standard can be adjustedto various technical fields by replacing a specific level with asuitable one; however, a communication data amount is increased and aprocess becomes complicated. Although increase of the communication dataamount and complicated process are not a problem in devices withhigh-performance processors such as a personal computer and smartphone;however, they are actually a problem from energy saving and processsimplification standpoints.

The fourth problem is high cost and massive power consumption. Whencommunication data attain universality, greater processing power isrequired and it will result in high cost and massive power consumption.For example, there is a communication method to describe communicationdata in an extensible Markup Language (XML) format to attain flexibilityand extensibility to the communication data. However, in this method, areceiver requires an XML decoding function (parser) by which thereceiver function becomes complex. On the other hand, there is anothercommunication method to incorporate different standard tablescorresponding to respective devices in communication data such that thetables can correspond to various devices; however, in this case,standard tables become complicated to correspond to high-end model ofeach device and a communication process in a simple functional deviceincreases.

Embodiments described hereinafter aim to provide a client system whichcan perform data communication handling data from various sensors anddata to various actuators configured to change internal systemconditions and can reduce costs of the whole system by simplificationand power saving of the communication control, ands communication methodof the same.

Solution to Problem

Individual data from sensors and individual items related to controllingactuators which can change internal system conditions are madecommunicable by a simplified communication protocol. Specifically, asystem of an embodiment includes a “combination module” comprising acommunication function and at least one of an actuator function tocontrol a status change and a sensor function to collect the data. Thecombination module can individually perform communication with, systemcontroller and use a suitable communication protocol which is simplifiedon the basis of the combination module having low cost and easyprocessing. The communication method (communication format) used in thecombination module may differ from a method used in communicationbetween the system controller and devices. Furthermore, a combinationmodule included in a particular device may independently performcommunication with the system controller.

Moreover, in embodiments, a unit being configured to comprise at leastone of combination modules, devices, and combination thereof may bedefined to perform data management and/or status control in each unit.

Then, a network system may be built using the units and a systemcontroller which controls the entire system. Furthermore, the systemcontroller can perform communication with an external device of thenetwork system or a server.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a wide-area network structure of a system of a presentembodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a local network structure of the system of the presentembodiment.

FIG. 3A shows a unit model (1).

FIG. 3B shows a unit model (2).

FIG. 4A shows an example of combination module (1).

FIG. 4B shows an example of combination module (2).

FIG. 4C shows an example of combination module (3).

FIG. 4D shows an example of combination module (4).

FIG. 4E shows an example of combination module (5).

FIG. 4F shows an example of combination module (6).

FIG. 5 shows an example of a specific internal structure of a sensorcombination module.

FIG. 6A shows a first example of a specific internal structure of anactuator combination module.

FIG. 6B shows a second example of a specific internal structure of theactuator combination module.

FIG. 6C shows a third example of a specific internal structure of theactuator combination module.

FIG. 6D shows a fourth example of a specific internal structure of theactuator combination module.

FIG. 7A shows an example of a specific structure within a communicationmodule.

FIG. 7B shows another example of the specific structure within thecommunication module.

FIG. 8A shows another example of a local network structure.

FIG. 8B shows a different example of the local network structure.

FIG. 9 shows a variation of the local network structure.

FIG. 10A shows a basic structure of application/communication layer ofthe system of the present embodiment.

FIG. 10B shows a schematic structure of data exchanged in acommunication middleware layer.

FIG. 11 shows a data structure transmitted through a network in thepresent embodiment.

FIG. 12A shows a data structure in a physical layer header and a MAClayer header.

FIG. 12B shows details of IEEE extension address of the presentembodiment.

FIG. 13 shows a data structure in an IPv6 header.

FIG. 14 shows a communication middleware data structure of C-format.

FIG. 15A shows a communication middleware data structure of E-format.

FIG. 15B shows a communication middleware data structure of A-format.

FIG. 16 shows a variation of the basic structure ofapplication/communication layer.

FIG. 17A shows another example (1) of the structure ofapplication/communication layer.

FIG. 17B shows another example (2) of the structure ofapplication/communication layer.

FIG. 18A shows an example of computer system constitution including adevice driver.

FIG. 18B shows a present embodiment regarding a computer systemconstitution including a management/control area of in-system unit.

FIG. 19A shows another embodiment regarding a computer systemconstitution including a management/control area of in-system unit.

FIG. 19B shows an example of software constitution indicatingmanagement/control method in the in-system unit.

FIG. 20 shows a comparison between a conventional file system and unitmanagement method of the present embodiment.

FIG. 21A shows a display example indicating hierarchic configurationcontrolled by a virtual management drive for managing units.

FIG. 21B shows a display example indicating an internal configuration ofa combination module folder.

FIG. 21C shows a display example indicating an internal configuration ofa sensor combination module folder.

FIG. 21D shows a display example indicating sensor data in the sensorcombination module.

FIG. 22 shows a position management routine managing devices and/orvarious combination modules in each of sections.

FIG. 23 shows an example of an address table managed in the system ofthe present embodiment.

FIG. 24 shows an example method for setting sections separated eachother in a system.

FIG. 25 shows an example method for setting sections spatially separatedeach other on the basis of efficiency for sensing and/or servicing.

FIG. 26A shows a basic process flow in a system controller.

FIG. 26B shows data collection from devices and combination moduleslocated in sections and a data estimation/determination method.

FIG. 27 shows an estimation/determination method of the presentembodiment.

FIG. 28 shows an example of time-dependent changes in communicationdata.

FIG. 29 shows an example of service providing method in each section.

FIG. 30 shows data collection from devices and combination modulesmovable across different sections and a data estimation/determinationmethod.

FIG. 31 shows a position monitoring method of each device and/orcombination module.

FIG. 32 shows the structure of a detector for searching a radio wavesource direction of the present embodiment.

FIG. 33 shows the structure of a stealth plate of the presentembodiment.

FIG. 34 shows a detection principle for searching the radio wave sourcedirection of the present embodiment.

FIG. 35 shows an example method for setting sections separated eachother in a social infrastructure field.

FIG. 36A shows an example of application of a combination module indifferent middleware layers.

FIG. 36B shows an example of application of a combination module indifferent systems.

FIG. 37A shows an example of application of a combination module.

FIG. 37B shows another example of application of the combination module.

FIG. 37C shows still another example of application of the combinationmodule.

FIG. 37D shows still another example of application of the combinationmodule.

FIG. 37E shows still another example of application of the combinationmodule.

FIG. 37F shows still another example of application of the combinationmodule.

FIG. 37G shows still another example of application of the combinationmodule.

FIG. 37H shows still another example of application of the combinationmodule.

FIG. 38 shows an example of network system in a home client usage.

FIG. 39 shows a control method of an automatic control enabled smarthousehold appliance.

FIG. 40 shows a display example for setting control conditions of arobot cleaner.

FIG. 41 shows an example of contents of exchangeable data communicatedto air conditioners based on E-format.

FIG. 42 shows an example of contents of exchangeable data communicatedto a television based on E-format.

FIG. 43 shows an example list of instruction information and sensor datawhich relate to user's behaviors and user's conditions.

FIG. 44 shows a detailed method example for controlling the robotcleaner based on each of device conditions.

FIG. 45 shows another embodiment for automatically determining bestperformance condition of the robot cleaner based on the collected data.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments will be herein after described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. The description of embodiments of the presentapplication may be separated into the following chapters and sections.

Chapter 1 System Overview of Present Embodiment Section 1.1 Overview ofEntirety of System of Present Embodiment Section 1.2 Explanation ofUnits Section 1.3 Internal Structure of Combination Module Section 1.4Internal Structure of Sensor Combination Module Section 1.5 InternalStructure of Actuator Combination Module Section 1.6 Example of InternalStructure of Communication Module Section 1.7 Explanation of WholeStructure of Wide Area Network System of Embodiment Section 1.8Explanation of Local Network System Structure of Embodiment Section 1.9Example of Use of Combination Modules in Local Network System Chapter 2Outline of Hierarchy of Communication Data and Data Structure Section2.1 Hierarchy of Network Communication Related Function of PresentEmbodiment Section 2.2 Relationship Between Hierarchy of CommunicationRelated Functions and Communication Data on Network Line Section 2.3Data Structure of Z-format in Physical Layer and Media Access LayerSection 2.4 Data Structure of Internet Protocol Version 6 Layer Section2.5 Data Structure of C-format in Communication Middleware Layer Section2.6 Data Structure of E-format in Communication Middleware Layer Section2.7 Data Structure of A-format in Communication Middleware Layer Section2.8 Address Table Used in System of Present Embodiment and Example ofUse Thereof Chapter 3 Management/Display Method for Each Unit Section3.1 Outline of Basic Unit Management Method Section 3.2 Unit ManagementMeans Section 3.3 Specific Unit Management Example and Display ExampleChapter 4 Outline of Section in System of Present Embodiment Section 4.1Position of Section in System of Present Embodiment Section 4.2 Methodof Managing Position in Section of Various Modules or Devices

Section 4.3 Processing Method from Data Acquisition to Service Offeringfor Each SectionSection 4.4 Method of Tracking Movement between Sections in VariousModules or DevicesSection 4.5 Adaptability between Different Systems in Unit (CombinationModule or Device)

Chapter 5 Examples of Various Applicable Fields Section 5.1 Examples ofApplication to Consumer Electronics Technology Section 5.1.1 Example ofApplication of Wide Area Network System to Consumer ElectronicsTechnology

Section 5.1.2 Examples of Application of Combination module to ConsumerElectronics Technology

Section 5.1.3 Example of Application of Section Division Method toConsumer Electronics Technology

Section 5.2 Example of Application to Social infrastructure FieldSection 5.2.1 Example of Application 1 of Wide-area Network System toSocial infrastructure FieldSection 5.2.2 Examples of Application of Combination module to SocialInfrastructure Field

Section 5.2.3 Example of Application of Section Division Method toSocial Infrastructure Field Section 5.3 Example of Application to HealthCare Field Section 5.3.1 Example of Application of Wide Area NetworkSystem to Health Care Field

Section 5.3.2 Example of Application of Combination module to HealthCare Field

Section 5.3.3 Example of Application of Section Division Method toHealth Care Field Chapter 6 Smart Household Appliance Automatic ControlMethod

Section 6.1 Relationship between Automatic Control Enabled SmartHousehold Appliance and Associated Smart Household Appliances

Section 6.2 Outline of Control Method for Automatic Control EnabledSmart Household Appliances

Section 6.3 Communication Information for Communicating with AssociatedSmart Household Appliance

Section 6.4 Method of Estimating/determining Behavior and State of User

Section 6.5 Another Embodiment directed to Automatic Control betweenSmart Household AppliancesAccording to the above table of contents, each part/chapter is describedhereinafter.

Chapter 1 System Overview of Present Embodiment Section 1.1 Overview ofSystem Entirety of Present Embodiment

Firstly, an overview of the system entirety of the present embodimentwill be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows theentire structure of a wide-area network system in the system entirety ofthe present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a local network system which is acomponent of the wide-area network system. Furthermore, details,services and novel advantages those are described with reference to FIG.1 are as-is applied to the system of FIG. 2. Similarly, details,services, and novel advantages those are described with reference toFIG. 2 (or later described with reference to FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 9) areapplied to the whole wide-area network system of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, a management agency and organization dealing in specificitems and data are referred to as wholesale firms A_1102, B1_1104-1, andB2_1104-2. Furthermore, an organization and group providing specificservice are referred to as service providers A_1112-1 to C_1112-3. Eachof service providers A_1112-1 to C_1112-3 has one or more servers1_1116-1 to n_1116-n. Furthermore, in the system of the presentembodiment, servers 1_1116-1 to n_1116-n may be referred to as cloudservers or a cloud. Service providers A_1112-1 to C_1112-3 acquire items(or data) from wholesale firm B1_1104-1 and/or wholesale firm B2_1104-2dealing in similar items (or data) and provide each of domains 1_1122-1to 3_1122-3 with services. Domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3 indicatespecific network spaces, and one domain 2_1122-2 is composed of one ormore systems α_1132 and β_1134. Here, in the description hereinaftersystems α_1132 and β_1134 may be referred to as a network system or aclient system. Therefore, the terms “network system” and “client system”appearing in the following description may be interpreted as “systemsα_1132 and β_1134”. Furthermore, as mentioned above, a single domain2_1122-2 may be composed of different systems α_1132 and β_1134. In thedescription hereinafter, domain 2_1122-2 may be referred to as a complexclient system. Therefore, the term “complex client” appearing in thefollowing description may be interpreted as “domain 2_1122-2”.

Here, wholesale firms A_1102, B1_1104-1, and B2_1104-2, serviceproviders A_1112-1 to C_1112-3, and domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3 areconnected to each other via a network. Furthermore, the serviceproviders A_1112-1 to C_1112-3 are connected to each other via a networkto perform data and resource sharing 1114.

System α_1132 shown in FIG. 1 is a minimum network system unit in whichinternal components are connected to each other via a network.Furthermore, in many cases, one system controller α_1126 is disposed insystem α_1132. System controller α_1126 manages or operates the(network) system. Similarly, system β_1134 which is a minimum networksystem unit may be composed of a single system controller β_1128.Furthermore, systems α_1132 and β_1134 constituting the same domain2_1122-2 may be located physically apart. Furthermore, different systemsα_1132 and β_1134 in the same domain 2_1122-2 can operate cooperatively.

In the system of the present embodiment, predetermined service units tobe provided to users in system α_1132 may be defined as sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m. Furthermore, units used to unify, manage, andcontrol the data acquired in system α_1132 may be defined as sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m. And the same section of 1-m_1142-1-m may be usedas both the service unit and the data unification/management/controlunit. When service provision, data acquisition, and data management areperformed by each unit of the sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m, efficiencyin the service provision, data acquisition, and data management areimproved and user convenience is thus improved.

FIG. 2 shows the local network system structure formed in system α_1132of FIG. 1. System controller α_1126 includes a processor 1230 and amemory 1232, and network communication is performed in system α_1132 viathe communication module 1202-3. Furthermore, in parallel, systemcontroller α_1126 can perform network communication between externaldevices via the communication module 1202-3.

In the system of the present embodiment, basic units having a networkcommunication function other than system controller α_1126 in thenetwork system α_1132 are defined as units 1_1290-1 to 7_1290-7.Furthermore, in the present embodiment, these units 1_1290-1 to 7_1290-7are dispersed in network system α_1132, and these units 1_1290-1 to7_1290-7 having various functions are treated as managed units orcontrolled units. And using the units managed and/or controlled, variousfunctions in the same network system α_1132 can easily bemanaged/controlled though each of the units may have each of variousphysical forms. As shown in FIG. 2, each of units 1_1290-1 to 7_1290-7includes each of communication modules 1202-4 to 1202-10 to achieve anetwork communication function. Instead of the communication modules1202-4 to 1202-10, the network communication function may be providedwith a part of a specific module or with a pan of a device to achievethe network communication function. Furthermore, the networkcommunication function may be achieved as a part of functions ofspecific software.

In the system of the present embodiment, the system controller α_1126basically performs management/operation/control of the networkcommunication in the network system α_1132. In many cases, systemcontroller α_1126 may be physically disposed in the network systemα_1132 as shown in FIG. 2. However, as described later with reference toFIG. 9, system controller β_1128 physically disposed outside the networksystem α_1132 may perform management/operation/control of the networkcommunication in the network system α_1132. And in that case, units1_1290-1 to 7_1290-7 can individually perform data communicationdirectly with system controller α_1126 or β_1128. Instead of the directcommunication with system controller α_1126 or β_1128, units 1_1290-1 to7_1290-7 may individually perform data communication with each otherunder the control of system controller α_1126 or system controllerβ_1128.

Section 1.2 Explanation of Units

In the previous section, it has been described that variouspredetermined functions dispersed in system α_1132 are managed andcontrolled on the basis of unit by system controller α_1126. As shown inFIG. 2, a large number of function achieving means are dispersed in thesingle network system α_1132, so that, up to the present, collectivemanagement and control of these means have been performed with greatcomplexity. Moreover, there is a wide variety of physical forms of theunits used to achieve the functions, including devices 1250, combinationmodule 1295 (described in Section 1.3), sensor module 1260, and actuatormodule 1270, for example. Therefore, the collective management andcontrol of the means are performed with greater complexity.

As a countermeasure to the complexity, a wide variety of functionachieving means dispersed in the network system α_1132 aremanaged/controlled as units with reference to network communicationfunction (using network communication function achieving means of eachunit as a basic unit) in the system of the present embodiment. And asingle function or a collection of various functions which is achievablein cooperation with a minimum network communication function isinterpreted as a unit which is a common and generalized concept.Furthermore, as described above, units can individually be formed invarious physical forms; however, management/control/data acquisition areperformed using a common/generalized unit as a basic unit regardless ofspecific physical forms. Since a unit which does not depend onindividual functions or physical forms in the network system α_1132 isdefined as a management unit (or control/data acquisition unit), themanagement, control, and data acquisition within the network systemα_1132 by system controller α_1126 or system controller β_1128 can besimplified significantly. Note that specific examples ofmanagement/control using a unit are described in Chapter 3.

As a specific physical form example of a unit, the entirety of device1_1250-1 may be related to unit 4_1290-4, and independent combinationmodules 1_1295-1 and 7_1295-7 may be related to unit 1_1290-1 and7_1290-7 as shown in FIG. 2. Furthermore, combination modules 6_1295-6,2_1295-2, and 3_1295-3 which are part of device 2_1250-2 and device5_1250-5 may be related to units 6_1290-6, 2_1290-2, and 3_1290-3. Here,unit 2_1290-2 and unit 3_1290-3 may overlap each other at the part ofcommunication module 1202-10 as in FIG. 2. As can be understood fromthis point, in the present embodiment partial overlap in different units2_1290-2 and 3_1290-3 may be acceptable. Furthermore, an inclusionrelationship between different units (one unit completely encompassed bya different unit) may be adopted.

Following to a specific example of FIG. 2, possible forms of the unitsare explained with reference to FIG. 3A. In the unit form of FIG. 3A(a), a device 1250 having a network communication function correspondsto a single unit 1290. If device 1250 has multiple complex functions,unit 1290 is handled as a basic unit having the multiple complexfunctions as well and its management, control and data acquisition areperformed in the network system α_1132.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3A (b), a combination module 1295(which will be described in Section 1.3) independently existing in thenetwork system α_1132 may be related to a single unit 1290. Or, asanother management model (control data acquisition unit form), aspecific device 1250 (which may or may not have a network communicationfunction independently) with a certain combination module 1295 addedthereto may be regarded as a single unit 1290 as shown in FIG. 3A (c).

Unit forms defined within device 5_1250-5 in FIG. 2 are explained withreference to FIG. 3B for better understanding. As shown in FIG. 3B, asingle sensor module 1260-9 having a sensor function, and two actuatormodules 1_1270-5 and 2_1270-6 having different actuation or operationfunctions are stored in device 5_1250-5. Furthermore, a communicationmodule 1202-10 having a network communication function to performnetwork communication with system controller α_1126 in the networksystem α_1132 is also stored. And a device controller 1240-3 is providedwith device 5_1250-5 to control operations of the modules collectivelyand to collectively acquire and manage status data of the modules andsensor data obtained there from. Here, the data acquired or generatedindependently by device controller 1240-3 can be stored in a memory1246.

As mentioned above, as basic units for suitable management, control, anddata acquisition in the network system α_1132, system controller α_1126or system controller β_1128 can flexibly set (define) unit forms (as aunit 2_1290-2 or a unit 3_1290-3). For example, if system controllerα_1126 or system controller β_1128 needs to control individual sensorfunctions and actuation (operation) functions within device 5_1250-5 orto acquire data via a network (that is, via the communication module1202-10), unit 2_1290-2 may be defined (set) as shown in FIG. 3B (a). Inthat case, unit 2_1290-2 is composed of the sensor module 1260-9, twoactuator modules 1_1270-5 and 2_1270-6, and communication module1202-10. Thus, system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128)can perform detailed control with respect to each module in unit2_1290-2.

In contrast, as FIG. 3B (b) shows, a unit 3_1290-3 is composed of thecommunication module 1_202-10 and device controller 1240-3 alone.Therefore, when system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128)perform data communication with unit 3_1290-3, sophisticated control ofand data acquisition as to the entirety of device 5_1250-5 arecollectively performable. As a result, unlike the data communicationwith unit 2_1290-2, detailed data communication processes with respectto individual modules are not required in the data communication withunit 3_1290-3. Therefore, if unit 3_1290-3 is set (defined), the processin system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128) is greatlysimplified and the process efficiency is improved. As can be understoodfrom the above, if the form (structure) of unit 1290 is changed, thecommunication data content between system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128) and unit 1290 is also changed.

Note that a unit may have a certain function achieved in cooperationwith a minimum network communication function. Therefore, a minimumnetwork communication function is provided with each of the units. Ifthe communication module 1202-10 is structured as in FIG. 3B as anexample of such a network communication function, the communicationmodule 1202-10 is simultaneously provided within the units. As a result,unit 2_1290-2 and unit 3_1290-3 overlap each other sharing thecommunication module 1202-10 as shown in FIG. 3B (c).

In conclusion, specific forms in unit 1290 are configured flexiblywithin the network system α_1132 such that different units can overlapeach other while sharing some functions, the freedom of the management(or control or data acquisition) of system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128) can be improved.

Section 1.3 Internal Structure of Combination Module

As a form of unit 1295, FIG. 3A (b) shows the structure of combinationmodule 1295. In the present embodiment, a combination module is definedas a module which can perform both a communication function and afunction other than the communication function. It is emphasized thatthe function other than the communication function is achieved with theparticipation of the communication function. Data communication betweenthe combination module 1295 and external devices (outside thecombination module 1295) is performed via the communication function.Therefore, using the communication function of the combination module1295, data obtained by the combination module 1295 can be acquired fromthe external devices (from the outside of the combination module 1295)so that the external devices easily gather the data resulted from thespecific function belonging to the combination module 1295. On the otherhand, using the communication function of the combination module 1295,the specific function of the combination module 1295 can be controlledexternally (from the outside of the combination module 1295).

The specific function other than the communication function may be, forexample, a sensor function, actuator (or operation) function, control(process) function, memory function, or display function. However, nolimitation is intended thereby, and any function other than thecommunication function may be adopted in a combination module. Acombination module having a sensor function is especially referred to asa sensor combination module 1460 and a combination module having anactuation (operation) function is especially referred to as an actuatorcombination module 1470. Furthermore, a combination module having acontrol (process) function is referred to as a processor combinationmodule 1465, a combination module having a memory function is referredto as a memory combination module 1475, and a combination module havinga display function is referred to as a display combination module 1478.

Now, a difference between the combination module explained here and theunit explained in Section 1.2 is explained. The combination module 1295may be a component of device 1290 as a prescribed module. Or, thecombination module 1295 may exist independently within the networksystem. In contrast, unit 1290 is a basic unit to perform management,control, and data acquisition within the network system in which variousforms such as device 1290, the combination module 1295, and acombination thereof are used in common or generally. Thus, as FIG. 3A(b) shows, one or more combination modules 1295 can be included in asingle unit 1290, and the single unit 1290 may include the one or morecombination modules 1295. This is evident from the point that a device1250 may correspond to an unit 1290 though the combination module 1295is simply a part of the device 1290. Here, in this inclusionrelationship, the communication function achieving means may be sharedin both the unit 1290 and the combination module 1295. As explained inSection 1.2, system controller α_1126 is not belong to unit 1290. Incontrast, it is another significant difference between the unit 1290 andthe combination module 1295 that the system controller α_1126 may havethe combination module 1295 partially.

The communication function and the other function in the combinationmodule may be achieved through software (program) or hardware (circuit),or may be achieved through a combination of software and hardware (thefunctions are partly achieved through hardware and the rest is achievedthrough software). And the communication function and the other functionare not necessarily separated whether they are achieved through softwareor hardware, and achieving means of both functions may mix, partlyoverlap, or have an inclusion relationship therebetween. Furthermore,the achieving means of both functions are not necessarily connecteddirectly with each other on software or hardware. That is, an achievingmeans of the communication function and an achieving means of the otherfunction may be disposed significantly apart from each other on hardwareor in program, and the achieving means of both functions may operatecooperatively by some kind of linking means.

The structures in the combination module are shown in FIGS. 4A to 4F asblock diagrams for the convenience of explanation. The block may be apredetermined circuit (hardware) or may be a predetermined collection ofprograms (software). Furthermore the blocks may not necessarilyseparated on the software or the hardware, and the blocks may mix, bedispersed, partly overlap each other (be shared), or have an inclusionrelationship therebetween.

FIG. 4A shows the basic structures of the combination module 1295. Toachieve the communication function of the combination module 1295, acommunication module 1660 is provided. In the structure of FIG. 4A (a),a radio signal sender/receiver antenna 1480 is independently arranged tobe connected to the communication module 1660. On the other hand, in thestructure of FIG. 4A (b), a radio signal sender/receiver antenna isstored in the communication module and they constitute anantenna-equipped communication module 1666. Furthermore, theantenna-equipped communication module 1666 is functionally connected to(functions in cooperation with) a different function module (other thanthe communication function) 1440 which achieves a function other thanthe communication function. Note that direct link between theantenna-equipped communication module 1666 and the different functionmodule 1440 as in FIG. 4A (b) is not essential and a different kind oflink therebetween is acceptable. For example of such a link, a distantlink 1444 may be adopted as shown in FIG. 4A (a) such that thecommunication module 1666 and the different function module (other thanthe communication function) 1440 are located separately to be linked bya distant cable. If, for example, the combination module is of asoftware structure and a program for the communication module 1660 and aprogram for the different function module 1440 are arranged in distantservers, the programs may be operated cooperatively via link datacorresponding to the distant link 1444 (such as uniform resource locator(URL)). If, for example, the different function module (other than thecommunication function) 1440 is required to be activated in specialenvironments (underground, underwater, deep within a steel-framebuilding, and the like) where radio communication (achievement of thecommunication function by the communication module 1660 with the antenna1480) is impossible, the combination module 1295 can stably functioneven in such special environments because of the distant link 1444.Furthermore, the structure of the combination module is not limited tothose of FIG. 4A and, for example, the antenna-equipped communicationmodule 1666 and the different function module (other than thecommunication function) 1440 may be located distantly while a distantlink 1444 is established therebetween by a distant cable.

FIG. 4B shows structural examples of the combination module 1295 usingthe sensor combination module 1460. The part utilized as the differentfunction module (other than the communication function) 1440 in thestructure of FIG. 4A is replaced by a sensor module 1260 in the examplesof FIG. 4B. The sensor module 1260 may generate a qualitative orquantitative sensing signal within the system α_1132. The sensor module1260 may be disposable within the system α_1132 or may be movable(mobile) in the system α_1132 to measure or observe the conditions inthe corresponding system α_1132.

As a specific example of a target of sensing, the sensor module 1260 maygenerate human body related data including body temperature, pulse,heartbeats, or a counted number of respiration, identification dataincluding human expression, face shape, looks, or body size data such asheight or width, physical data including luminosity (brightness), speed,temperature, humidity, power/current/voltage, or flow (of water andgaseous), human sensory detection data including the number of existingpeople or crowdedness within a predetermined section 1142, movement dataincluding human or vehicle traffic conditions, or architectural dataincluding temperature, strain, shape, cracks, internal hollow capacityof architecture. However, no limitation is intended thereby and anysensible target will be applied.

FIG. 4C shows structural examples of the combination module 1295 usingthe actuator combination module 1470. The part utilized as the differentfunction module (other than the communication function) 1440 in thestructure of FIG. 4A is replaced by an actuator module 1670 in theexamples of FIG. 4C. An external antenna 1480 connectable to thecommunication module 1660 may be adopted (as in FIG. 4C (b)), or theantenna-equipped communication module 1666 including a radio signalsender/receiver antenna may be adopted (as in FIG. 4C (a)). In theexample of FIG. 4C (a), the antenna-equipped communication module 1666and the actuator module 1670 may be located distantly while a distantlink 1444 is established therebetween by a distant cable. However, nolimitation is intended thereby and a distant link 1444 may beestablished between the communication module 1660 connectable to theexternal antenna 1480 and the actuator module 1670.

The actuator module 1670 defined here functions as a service provisionrelated function module to provide specific service or as a conditionchange control function module used to control specific condition changewithin the system α_1132. A word “actuator” used in the term actuatormodule may be misunderstood as an actual movable part or operable part;however, motion is not essential fort his actuator module. Thus, asspecific examples of the function of the actuator module, there are apredetermined data transfer function (remote control function) used as apart of a data transfer path to present sounds and display images, andto maintain, change, and control the luminosity of light or theintensity of scent, a data communication relay function, or a remotemanipulation function (of the predetermined device 1250).

The sensor combination module 1460 and the actuator combination module1470 explained above perform relatively passive data communication underthe control of system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128).In contrast, the processor combination module 1465 shown in FIG. 4Dperforms a relatively spontaneous or aggressive function. In the presentembodiment, as control (process) function achieving means within theprocessor combination module 1465, not only a device controller 1240within device 1250 but also the processor 1230 in system controllerα_1126 (in FIG. 2) or a processor 1734 in system controller β_1128 (inFIG. 17A/B) may be adopted. Especially, as shown in FIG. 2, thecommunication module 1202-3 within system controller α_1126 or systemcontroller β_1128 can perform data communication with an equipment (suchas server n_1116-n) disposed outside system α_1132 and system β_1134.Here, the combination module 1295 at least requires a data communicationfunction within system α_1132 (or system β_1134). Therefore, in theexample of FIG. 4D, the communication module 1202-3 is functionallydivided into an in-system communication responsive module 1752 and anout-system communication responsive module 1758, and only the in-systemcommunication responsive module 1752 may be used as theprocessor-communication module 1465. However, no limitation is intendedthereby and the out-system communication responsive module 1758 may beincluded in the processor combination module 1465. If the processorcombination module 1465 is included in the device 1250, the out-systemcommunication responsive module 1758 may be originally excluded from thedevice 1250 in many cases.

If the processor combination module 1465 performs a relativelyspontaneous or aggressive function within the system α_1132 (or systemβ_1134), the processor combination module 1465 often treats useful dataand the useful data may be stored in the “recording area of data relatedto management data (table) 1740” (which is described later withreference to FIG. 10A/B). Therefore, if the processor combination module1465 is required to perform a spontaneous/aggressive function, theprocessor combination module 1465 may include a part of a memory 1242 indevice 1_1250-1, a part of a memory 1246 in device 5_1250-5, a part ofmemory 1232 within system controller α_1126 (cf. FIG. 2), or a part of amemory 1248 within system controller β_1128 (cf. FIG. 17A/B).

For example, when the data recorded in memory 1242 in device 1_1250-1are read by system controller α_1126, a high-class data exchange betweenthe processor 1230 within system controller α_1126 and device controller1240-1 within device 1_1250-1 is required. On the contrary, as shown inFIG. 4E, a memory combination module 1475 can simply perform a directdata communication to the system controller α_1126 (or system controllerβ_1128) using a greatly simplified communication protocol because thememory combination module 1475 independently has the in-systemcommunication responsive module 1752 which can treat the simplifiedcommunication protocol alone. Moreover, the memory combination module1475 includes the “recording area of data related to management data(table) 1740” in the memories 1242, 1246, 1232, and 1248, and therecoding area 1740 stores the management data (table). Therefore, thememory combination module 1475 simplifies communication of data recordedin the recording area 1740 of the management data (table) related data.

As examples of functions performed by the different function module 1440in FIG. 4A, FIGS. 4B to 4E show a monofunction respectively. However, asshown in FIG. 4F, multiple different functions may be achieved in asingle combination module 1295. For example, in the combination module1295, multiple different sensor functions (by sensor modules 1_1260-1and 2_1260-2), multiple different actuator (operation) functions (byactuator modules 1_1670-1 and 2_1670-2), control (process) function (byprocessor 1230, 1734, or device controller 1240), memory function (bymemory 1232 or 1248), and display function (by display module 1226) maybe achieved at the same time. Furthermore, as in the example shown inFIG. 4F, if the antenna 1480 connected to the communication module 1660is greatly distant from the sensor module 1_1260-1 and the actuatormodule 1670-2, respectively, a distant link 1444 may be establishedtherebetween, respectively using a distant cable.

Note that, in the example of FIG. 4F, the communication module 1660 isindividually connected to the different function modules other than thecommunication function. Alternately, the communication module 1660 andthe multiple different function modules may be connected to a commonbusline. In that case, the different function modules to be directlyconnected to the communication module 1660 are switched one another by aselector operation or address designation in time modulation manner.

Section 1.4 Internal Structure of Sensor Combination Module

FIG. 5 shows a more specific and detailed structural example of thesensor combination module 1460 explained with reference to FIG. 4B.Basically, sensor signals or detection data obtained by the sensormodule 1260 are transferred to the communication module 1660. And thesensor signals or the detection data are transferred to thecommunication module 1202-3 (cf. FIG. 2) of system controller α_1126through the communication module 1660. The communication module 1660 ofFIG. 5 may also execute a process of data communicated with acommunication middleware layer APL02 conforming to C-format which isdescribed in Chapter 2 with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B.

Power supplied to the sensor module 1260 and the communication module1660 is obtained from a battery charger module (battery) 1554.Furthermore, the sensor combination module 1460 of FIG. 5 includes asolar electricity generator module (solar cell) 1552 which has aphotoelectric conversion function, and power generated in the solarelectricity generator module (solar cell) 1552 having the photoelectricconversion function is stored in the battery charger module (battery)1554. FIG. 5 shows a solar electricity generator module (solar cell)having a photoelectric conversion function as a power generator but anyother energy converter may be used instead. As an alternative energyconverter, a thermoelectric converter such as a thermocouple may beused. The thermoelectric converter may be incorporated in the sensorcombination module 1460 and a user may wear the sensor combinationmodule 1460. Here, the body temperature of the user is used to generatepower for the operation of the sensor communication module 1460.Furthermore, as a different example, radio energy received by thecommunication module 1660 from the communication module 1202-3 in systemcontroller α_1126 of FIG. 2 may be converted to power and stored, or anear-field energy received from a near-field communication module 1560may be converted to power and stored. As can be understood from theabove, with an energy converter such as a solar electricity generatormodule 1552 and an integral battery charger module (battery) 1554included therein, the sensor combination module 1460 can operate longwithout an external power supply.

Here, if the sensor module 1260 is used to measure luminosity, ambienttemperature, or ambient humidity, or if the sensor module 1260 is usedas a presence sensor, the sensor module 1260 is disposed on the surfaceof devices 1_1250-1, 2_1250-2, and 5_1250-5 (cf. FIG. 2) to be exposedoutside. At the same time, the solar electricity generator module (solarcell) 1552 is disposed on the surface of devices 1_1250-1, 2_1250-2, and5_1250-5 to be exposed outside.

Here, if the sensor combination module 1460 is left in the dark for along time, the energy of the battery charger module (battery) 1554decreases and the power to be supplied to the sensor module 1260 and thecommunication module 1660 may possibly be insufficient. In considerationof this point, if the output voltage of or the energy remaining in thebattery charger module (battery) 1554 becomes lower than a predeterminedreference value, an energy shortage notification may be sent in a timelymanner to system controller α_1126 in FIG. 2 through the communicationmodule 1660. Although details are explained in Chapter 2 with referenceto FIG. 14, an alarm indicative of “low battery” may be reported tosystem controller α_1126 from the sensor combination module 1460. Then,the processor 1230 in system controller α_1126 detects the low batterystatus of the battery charger module (battery) 1554 in the sensorcombination module 1460, and notifies the user of the low battery statusthrough a user interface 1234. As can be understood from the above,since the output voltage of or the energy remaining in the batterycharger module (battery) 1554 is reported in a timely manner to systemcontroller α_1126, a stop of an operation of the sensor combinationmodule 1460 because of the low battery status can be prevented and theoperability of the whole system of the present application can besecured.

In the sensor combination module 1460 of FIG. 5, a near-fieldcommunication module 1560 which can perform near-field radiocommunication is stored. As a near-field radio transmission techniqueused here will be, for example, TransferJet and Felica (a combination ofwords felicity and card) which is a standard for contactless smartcardtechnology. Using the near-field communication module 1560, theabove-described external power supply can be performed and a location ofthe sensor combination module 1460 in the initial setting can bedetected as explained below. That is, if a combination module 7_1295-7corresponding to the sensor combination module independently disposed inthe system of the present embodiment in FIG. 2, or if a device 2_1250-2including a combination module 6_1295-6 corresponding to the sensorcombination module is disposed, the near-field communication module 1560performs close-range communication with a mobile external device (notshown) having a Global Positioning System (GPS) function during theinitial setting. At that time, the GPS positional data is reported tosystem controller α_1126 through the communication module 1202-3. As aresult, location data of the combination module 7_1295-7 correspondingto the sensor combination module, or location data of device 2_1250-2including the combination module 6_1295-6 corresponding to the sensorcombination module are registered in system controller α_1126. Theregistered data are stored in memory 1232 (cf. FIG. 2) in systemcontroller α_1126 in the format shown in FIG. 23 which will be explainedin Chapter 2. After the initial setting of the sensor combination module1460 through the near-field communication by a mobile external devicehaving a GPS function, the location of the sensor combination module1460 is clean and user-friendly services can be presented.

Section 1.5 Internal Structure of Actuator Combination Module

FIGS. 6A to 6D show more specific and detailed structural examples ofthe internal structure of the actuator combination module 1470 outlinedwith reference to FIG. 4C. If the actuator combination module 1470 whichis externally controllable is used as a part of the circuit (as acircuit component) in the device 1250, the module 1470 is, in manycases, used as an on/off switch, predetermined voltage output, orvariable resistance. In the present embodiment, the above standard (usedmost frequently in the circuit) functions are incorporated in the device1250 as the module. Thereby, cost effective and easily assembled device1250 can be provided. As to the exemplified functions, the internalstructure of the actuator combination module 1470 having a variableresistance function is shown in FIG. 6A, the internal structure of theactuator combination module 1470 having an on/off switch is shown inFIG. 6B, and the internal structure of the actuator combination module1470 having a predetermined voltage output function is shown in FIG. 6C.To provide the variable resistance function and the on/off switchfunction, an input terminal 1602 and an output terminal 1604 arerequired. In the structure of FIG. 6A, a variable resistance 610 isprovided between these terminals to set a variable resistancetherebetween. In the structure of FIG. 6B, a conduct/cut switch 1614 isprovided between these terminals and the conduct/cut switch 1614 isconfigured to be an on/off switch. As a circuit element for the variableresistance 1610 and the conduct/cut switch 1614, a complementarymetal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) type field-effect transistor (FET) maybe used. As the variable resistance 1610, an element having a gentlegamma characteristic is used. Because the gamma characteristic is theresistance characteristic between the input terminal 1602 and the outputterminal 1604 with respect to an input voltage applied to the variableresistance 1610 or the conduct/cut switch 1614, and the element having agentle gamma characteristic is an element in which a change in itsresistance is gentle even if the applied input voltage is changedsignificantly. As the conduct/cut switch 1614, an element having a steepgamma characteristic is used. Because the element having a steep gammacharacteristic is an element in which its resistance changes from nearlyzero conductivity to a significantly great cut only by a minute changein an input voltage around a predetermined threshold. In the presentembodiment, however, a circuit element is not limited to the CMOS-FET,and any other circuit element having a variable resistance function orhaving an on/off switch function under some kind of control can be used.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6C, a single voltage output terminal1606 is required to achieve the predetermined voltage output function.The output voltage from the terminal is connected to the output of apredetermined voltage generator 1618 in the actuator module 1670. As aspecific example of the circuit structure in the predetermined voltagegenerator 1618, a variable resistance is connected between a constantvoltage source in the actuator combination module 1470 or a constantvoltage externally supplied (a power source voltage, for example) and aground (earth), and an intermediate voltage is extracted from thevariable resistance and is maintained by a current supply buffercircuit. The extracted voltage is then maintained by a current supplybuffer circuit (an electronic circuit which can supply relatively greatexternal current to maintain an output voltage even if an externalimpedance is low). However, no limitation is intended thereby, and anyscheme and circuit which can generate and maintain a predeterminedvoltage can be used.

In the examples of FIGS. 6A to 6C, configuration values are suppliedfrom the communication module 1660 outside the actuator module 1670.Here, regulation value memory parts are provided inside the examples ofthe present embodiment to maintain the regulation values even if powerto the actuator combination module 1470 is cut. The memory parts are aconfigured resistance memory 1620 in the example of FIG. 6A, configuredstatus memory 1624 in the example of FIG. 6B, and configured voltagememory 1628 in the example of FIG. 6C. They each are a nonvolatilesemiconductor memory such as a NAND memory. However, no limitation isintended thereby, and any nonvolatile memory can be used as the memorypart. That is, in the examples of FIGS. 6A to 6C, the regulation valuesnotified from the communication module 1660 are initially sent to andstored in the configured resistance memory 1620, configured statusmemory 1624, and configured voltage memory 1628 in nonvolatile manner.At the same time, the regulation values stored in the memory parts areoutput to control the operation of the variable resistance 1610,conduct/cut switch 1614, or predetermined voltage generator 1618.

If actuator module 1270-1 or 1270-6 is used to control and changeregulation of device 1_1250-1 or 5_1250-5 in FIG. 2, actuator module1270-1 or 1270-6 may be an extended form of a commercially-availableremote controller using infrared communication. That is, an actuatorcombination module 1470 (a kind of combination module 1295) is composedof actuator module 1270-1 in device 1_1250-1 and a communication module1202-4 and is disposed outside device 1_1250-1 as a new remotecontroller. Similarly, an actuator combination module 1470 (a kind ofcombination module 1295) is composed of an actuator module 1270-5 indevice 5_1250-5 and a part of the communication module 1202-10 and isdisposed outside device 5_1250-5 as a new remote controller.Conceptually such new remote controllers may be used as advancedversions (replacements) of conventional infrared communication remotecontrollers which are accessories of air-conditioners, TVs, and lightingequipment.

FIG. 6D shows an internal structure of the actuator combination module1470 suitable for the above use. The example of FIG. 6D can respond toboth a binary state transition control (change of status configuration)such as switching on/off and a detailed control of status configurationusing multi-valued data items. Furthermore, the binary state transitioncontrol (change of status configuration) by the communication module1660 which has received the communication data exchanged in the networksystem α_1132 is stored or updated in the configured status memory 1624.On the other hand, the control data for detailed control of statusconfiguration using multi-valued data items sent from the communicationmodule 1660 are stored or updated in the configured voltage memory 1628.

The data stored or updated in the configured status memory 1624 and theconfigured voltage memory 1628 are subjected to a format conversion in aformat converter 1644, then subjected to luminous modulation in aninfrared light emitting element 1608 passing through an infrared lightdriving circuit 1648, and sent to a remote-controller-compatibleinfrared light receiver in device 1_1250-1 or 5_1250-5. By simplychanging a commercially-available infrared communication remotecontroller with the actuator combination module 1470 in FIG. 6D, variouscommercially-available devices 1250 such as an air-conditioner, TV, andlighting equipment can be incorporated in network system α_1132 withoutany replacement of the main body of devices 1_1250-1 and 5_1250-5.

Here, a conventional remote controller of least necessary function maynot memorize the control status of the device 1250. However, with theconfigured status memory 1624 and the configured voltage memory 1628stored in the actuator combination module 1460, the system controllerα_1126 can later confirm a control history via the communication module1660. Note that, as mentioned above, a NAND memory or any othernonvolatile memory can be used as the configured status memory 1624 andthe configured voltage memory 1628.

As communication data exchanged between the system controller α_1126 andthe actuator combination module 1470, C-format described in Chapter 2will be used. Explained below is how the actuator combination module1470 transfers communication data to the system controller α_1126 inFIG. 2 based on the C-format; however, the data exchange between thesystem controller α_1126 and the actuator combination module 1470 can beperformed based on any other optional format such as A-format orE-format. Considering a case where the system controller α_1126instructs (issues a command to) a commercially-available device 1250 tobegin its operation (to be turned on), network access control data 1830in communication data (FIG. 14 (d)) from the system controller α_1126 toits corresponding actuator communication module 1470 are set to [111](reset instruction), multi-valued transmission data CTMDT are set to[0000], and binary transmission data CT2DT are set to [1] (ON). Then,the communication module 1660 receives the data, and the data indicativeof [1] (power on) are transferred/stored to/in the configured statusmemory 1624 in the actuator module 1670. Furthermore, the data arenotified to a format converter 1644 through the configured status memory1624 and are converted into data indicative of power on in acommercially-available remote controller. The converted data aretransferred to the infrared light driving circuit 1648 and the lightemission of the infrared light emitting element 1608 is controlled.Then, the converted data are transferred to the commercially-availabledevice 1250 and the device 1250 is turned on.

In the C-format of FIG. 14(d), multi-valued data change configuration(reset) corresponding to, for example, a temperature change of anair-conditioner and an illumination degree change of an illuminationdevice can be performed together. In that case, the network accesscontrol data 1830 in the communication data (FIG. 14 (d)) are set to[111] (reset instruction), and the multi-valued transmission data CTMDTare set to a value other than [0000]. In that case, 5-bit data as acombination of the multi-valued transmission data CTMDT and the binarytransmission data CT2DT are allocated between [00010] and [11111] as 0to 100%. Then, the communication module 1660 receives the data andconverts the changed values into a percentage. The data after thepercentage conversion are transferred/stored to/in the configuredvoltage memory 1628. The data after the percentage conversion arenotified to the format converter 1644 through the configured voltagememory 1628 and are converted into data indicative of a stateconfiguration change value in the commercially-available remotecontroller. The converted data are used to operate the infrared lightdriving circuit 1648, control the light emission of the infrared lightemitting element 1608, and change the configuration state of thecommercially-available device 1250.

Next, a method by which the system controller α_1126 confirms a statealready configured in the actuator combination module 1470 will beexplained. In the method, communication data in which the network accesscontrol data 1830 are set to [011] (response [data] request) areinitially sent to the actuator communication module 1470 from the systemcontroller α_1126. Then, the communication module 1660 in FIG. 6Dreceives the response (data) request from the system controller α_1126and reads data already stored in the configured status memory 1624 andthe configured voltage memory 1628. The communication module 1660 thensets a result to the binary transmission data CT2DT or the multi-valuedtransmission data CTMDT in FIG. 14 (d). Here, the network access controldata 1830 in the communication data to be sent from the actuatorcombination module 1470 to the system controller α_1126 are set to [010](response reply).

The operation of the actuator combination module 1470 of the presentembodiment has been described as hardware (electronic circuit) for thesake of understandable explanation of the module 1470. However, nolimitation is intended thereby, and the actuator combination module 1470may be formed as a software module in the system of the presentembodiment. Note that, even if the actuator combination module 1470 isformed as a software module, input/output terminals 1602 and 1604,voltage output terminal 1606, and the infrared light emitting element1608 shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D are provided with such a software module.Now, a use of the software module will be explained. The communicationmodules 1202-4 to 1202-10 in FIG. 2 and the communication module 1660 inFIGS. 6A to 6D, processors 1960 and 1736 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B arestored, and they perform a communication control process according to apredetermined communication control program. As the communicationcontrol program, any optional program language executable in theprocessors 1960 and 1736 will be used.

In the explanation below, a program used to control the wholecommunication will be referred to as a main program and a parcel ofpredetermined miniature programs called from the main program will bereferred to as a subprogram module. However, no limitation is intendedthereby. Since Java (registered trademark) script which does not dependon an operating system (OS) and a Java applet compatible with HTML/HTML5are adoptable, terms related to Java programming will be written alongwith the terms of the present application. In the main program (class)used for the operation of the processor stored in the communicationmodule 1660 of FIGS. 6A to 6D, the process according to a subprogrammodule (method) corresponding to the actuator module 1670 is performed.In the subprogram module (method), processes corresponding toinput/output terminals 1602 and 1604 and the voltage output terminal1606 are performed based on predetermined regulation values in thesubprogram module (method). When a configuration change commandsnotified (issued) from the system controller α_1126 to the actuatorcombination module 1470 in FIG. 2, a different subprogram module(different method) is called up to perform a regulation value changeprocess in the main program (class). After that, the processescorresponding) input/output terminals 1602 and 1604 and the voltageoutput terminal 1606 are performed based on the changed regulationvalues.

Note that the actuator combination module 1470 which is an example ofthe combination module 1295 is exemplified in the above explanation;however, no limitation is intended thereby. That is, a combinationmodule 1295 of any type such as a sensor combination module 1460,processor combination module 1465, and memory combination module 1475may be achieved in the software module.

Furthermore, although some modules are omitted from FIGS. 6A to 6D forthe sake of simpler explanation, modules such as a solar electricitygenerator module (solar cell) 1552 as an energy converter, batterycharger module (battery) 1554, and near-field communication module 1560as in FIG. 5 may be stored in the actuator combination module 1470 ofFIGS. 6A to 6D.

Section 1.6 Example of Internal Structure of Communication Module

FIGS. 7A and 7B show examples of inner structure of the communicationmodule 1660 with external antenna 1480, used as a component of thecombination modules of the examples of FIGS. 4A to 4F. Note that theantenna-equipped communication module 1666 and the in-systemcommunication module 1752 shown in FIGS. 4A to 4E each include anantenna 1480 for a single system communication within the communicationmodule 1660 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

The single communication module 1660 of the present embodiment canoeused uniformly in the system controller α_1126 (or system controllerβ_1128), the device controllers 1240-1 and 1240-3 of the device 1_1250-1and the device 5_1250-5, and the independent combination modules1_1295-1 and 7_1295-7. Since the single communication module 1660 can beshared with many structural members (system controller α_1126 (systemcontroller β_1128) and the unit 1290) in the same network system α_1132,costs used to produce the communication module 1660 can be reduced by amass production effect.

As a specific method to achieve the above shared communication module1660, functions shared with various combination modules 1295 asexemplified in FIGS. 4B to 4F are provided with the communication module1660. The functions shared with various combination modules 1295 asexemplified in FIGS. 4B to 4F are used to:

[1] support for a communication protocol shared with the same networksystem α_1132; and

[2] conform to data communication schemes of various data items relatedto other functions than a communication function. As explained inSections 1.2 and 1.3, the communication module 1660 is always connectedto the different function modules having other functions than thecommunication function, and thus, the function of [2] is especiallyimportant.

The above functions of [1] and [2] are provided with the communicationmodule 1660. Specifically, a communication controller 1700 in FIG. 7Amainly achieves the function [1]. Furthermore, an interface 1710 in FIG.7A mainly achieves the function [2]. In FIG. 7A, a region of thecommunication controller 1700 and a region of the interface 1710 areseparated for easier understanding; however, no limitation is intendedthereby. The circuits used to perform the above functions [1] and [2]may be mixed. Alternately, some of the functions [1] and [2] may beachieved through either of the circuits.

To impart the versatility to the communication module 1660 to be sharedin various types of combination modules 1295, the structure of aninterface (I/F) with the different function modules 1440 is improved inthe present embodiment. Specifically, a connector with the differentfunction modules 1440 is divided into a contents data interface 1950 andan address data interface 1940 and connection methods are variedcorresponding to the type of the different function modules 1440 whichare the connection targets. The versatility of the communication module1660 with respect to various types of different function modules 1440 isimproved and the communication module 1660 can be adoptable inmultiobjective (various) combination modules 1295.

The above point will be explained in detail below. If the combinationmodule 1295 is realized as a monofunctional sensor combination module1460 as in FIGS. 4B and 5, or as a monofunctional actuator combinationmodule 1670 as in FIGS. 4C and 6A to 6C, the data communication in thenetwork system α_1132 can be established if only address data unique tothe combination module 1295 and address data of the system controllerα_1126 (system controller β_1128) are stored therein. Therefore, if theconnector is connected to only one sensor module 1260 (FIG. 4B) or toonly one actuator module 1670 (FIG. 4C) as a different function module1440 (FIG. 4A), the address data interface 1940 in FIG. 7A is not used.

On the other hand, if the combination module 1295 is used as a part ofthe processor combination module 1465 as in FIG. 4D to be used in thesystem controller α_1126 (system controller β_1128), address data aredifferent in each unit 1290 (combination module 1295). Therefore,address data of communication targets are notified from the processors1230 an 1734 in FIG. 4D to the in-system communication module 1752through the busline 1490. At that time, the address data interface 1940is used as address data notification means (data notificationinput/output terminal).

Furthermore, if the combination module 1295 is used within the memorycombination module 1475 as shown in FIG. 4E, the in-system communicationmodule 1752 needs to designate an address range within the memories1242, 1246, 1232, and 1248 in which the recording area 1740 of datarelated to management data (table) is stored via the busline 1490.Therefore, both the contents data interface 1950 and the address datainterface 1940 in FIG. 7A are connected to the busline 1490 in theprocessor combination module 1465 of FIG. 4D and the memory combinationmodule 1475 of FIG. 4E.

At the end of Section 1.3, a method by which a communication module isconnected to a plurality of different function modules through a commonbusline is explained as an alternate method of the example of FIG. 4F.In that case, an address corresponding to the different function modulesdirectly connected to the communication module 1660 in a part of theaddress data interface 1940 is designated. Thereby, the differentfunction modules directly connected to the communication module 1660 canbe switched in a time modulation manner.

If the network communication in the network system α_1132 is performedthrough a wireless communication media, a sender supplies current to theantenna 1480 to generate radio waves, and a receiver detects weakcurrent flowing in the antenna 1480 and detects signals. Both thecurrent supply and the signal detection corresponding to the antenna1480 are performed within a data communication executor 3016.

The communication data exchanged between the data communication executor3016 and the other communication modules 1660 via the antenna 1480 havethe structure of FIG. 11 (a). Note that the communication data structureindicated in FIG. 11 will be explained in Section 2.2. Then,communication middleware data APLDT (and expansion data EXDT) of FIG. 11(b) in the communication data are processed in the interface 1710 ofFIG. 7A. That is, the communication middleware data APLDT (and expansiondata EXDT) are analyzed in a contents extractor 1938 and necessary dataare sent to the different function modules 1440 via the contents datainterface 1950. As a specific example of the necessary data, stateconfiguration change data (control data) of the device 1250 and theactuator combination module 1470 may be included in the communicationmiddleware data APLDT (and expansion data EXDT) of FIG. 11 (b). In thatcase, the specific content of the data are decoded in the contentsextractor 1938 and a decoded result is notified to the actuator module1670 via the contents data interface 1950. Then, the operation (stateconfiguration change) of the actuator module 1670 is initiatedcorresponding to the notified contents.

Furthermore, data input from the different function module 1440 via thecontents data interface 1950 are subjected to the format conversion inthe contents configurator 1934 and the communication middleware dataAPLDT (and expansion data EXDT) are generated. As a specific example, ifcontents data interface 1950 is connected to the sensor module 1260, thesensor data obtained in the sensor module 1260 are converted into thecommunication middleware data APLDT (and expansion data EXDT) in thecontents configurator 1934. Then, the communication data are transmittedto the system controller α_1126 (system controller β_1128) via the datacommunication executor 3016 and the antenna 1480.

Data items of FIGS. 11 (c) to 11 (f) within the structure of FIG. 11 (a)are processed in the communication controller 1700 of FIG. 7A. That is,the data items of FIGS. 11 (c) to 11 (f) are generated in a physicallayer frame generator 1914 and are combined with the data items of FIG.11 (b). The combined data items are transmitted to the datacommunication executor 3016 and the communication data transmission isperformed. Contrary, in the communication data reception, thecommunication data having the structure of FIG. 11 (a) are analyzed inthe physical layer frame analyzed 918 and the data items of FIG. 11 (b)extracted therein are sent to the contents extractor 1938.

Furthermore, if the address data interface 1940 is connected duringtransmission, address data of the receiver are notified via the addressdata interface 1940. Then, the address data conforming to the format ofFIG. 11 (a) are generated in the address data generator 1924 andcommunication data of FIG. 11 (a) are generated in the physical layerframe generator 1914.

If the address data interface 1940 is connected during reception, thedata items of FIGS. 11 (c) to 11 (f) are selected in the physical layerframe analyzer 1918, and transferred to an address data extractor 1928.Then, only the predetermined address data are extracted in the addressdata extractor 1928 and sent to the address data interface 1940.

If the communication module 1660 is used in a monofunctional sensorcombination module 1460, address data of a system controller α_1126(system controller β_1128) of the receiver are stored in advance in theaddress data generator 1924, instead of using the address data interface1940. Thereby, the sensor data can automatically be addressed to thesystem controller α_1126 (system controller β_1128).

Furthermore, if the communication module 1660 is used in amonofunctional actuator combination module 1470, its own address dataare stored in advance in the address data extractor 1928, instead ofusing the address data interface 1940. That is, radio data detected inthe data communication executor 3016 are entirely transmitted to thephysical layer frame analyzer 1918 and data corresponding to thecontents extractor 1938 and data corresponding to the address dataextractor 1928 are distributed to the respective extractors. Then, thereceiver side address data extracted in the address data extractor 1928are determined whether or not they match the own address data. If thereceiver side address data do not match the own address data, the datatemporarily stored in the contents extractor 1938 are suitablydestroyed. If the receiver side address data match the own address data,the data temporarily stored in the contents extractor 1938 aredetermined to be the communication data with respect to the combinationmodule 1295 and transferred to the contents data interface 1950.

The series of process described above is controlled by a processor 1960.Note that a connection line of the processor 1960 is omitted from thedepiction of FIG. 7A; however, the connection of the processor isoptional such as the processor 1736 which is directly connected to abusline BUS as in FIG. 7B or the processor 1960 may be directlyconnected to respective parts in the module.

FIG. 7B shows another example of the internal structure of thecommunication module 1660. In the example of FIG. 7B, the communicationmodule 1660 contains a memory 1790. Therefore, when the unit 1290containing the communication module 1660 is transferred from a system toa different system (from system α_1132 to system β_1134), the unittransfer can seamlessly and easily be performed between differentsystems.

Note that an external module connector 1778 of FIG. 7B corresponds tothe contents data interface 1950 and the address data interface 1940 ofFIG. 7A. Furthermore, a signal processor 1780 of FIG. 7B corresponds tothe contents extractor 1938 and the contents configurator 1934 of FIG.7A. The signal processor 1780 may include the functions of the addressdata extractor 1928 and the address data generator 1924 of FIG. 7A, andmay further include the functions of the data communication executor3016, physical layer frame analyzer 1918, and physical layer framegenerator 1914.

The communication module 1660 of FIG. 7B is attached to, embedded in,adhered to, or mounted on the different function module 1440 having afunction other than communication as shown in FIG. 4A. The combinationmodule 1295 includes the communication module 1660 attached to, embeddedin, adhered to, or mounted on the different function module 1440. Theunit 1290 includes the combination module 1295 as shown in FIGS. 3A (b)and 3A (c). The unit 1290 can be realized as any substance such as apart, product, item, device, material, and

Specifically, the communication module 1660 includes various functionblocks structured on an insulating substrate 1660-1 through anintegration technique. The communication module 1660 includes an antennaconnector 1774 to connect an antenna ANT_1772 thereto fortransmission/reception of radio 1770. The antenna ANT_1772 may be formedon the insulating substrate 1660-1 of the communication module 1660. Thecommunication module 1660 includes the external module connector 1778and is connectable to a plurality of different function modules 1766-1,1766-2, . . . , and 1766-n via the external module connector 1778. Thedifferent function modules 1766-1, 1766-2, . . . , and 1766-n may be thesensor module 1260, actuator module 1670, processor module 1680, memorymodule 1690, and/or display module 1226.

Different function modules 1766-1 to 1766-n may include various kinds ofsensors as the sensor modules 1260. Such sensors are to detect, forexample, a temperature, humidity, pressure, deformation, water quality(through a chemical reaction or filtering) gas (through a chemicalreaction), brightness, supersonic wave, color, and pulse. One or moresensors are selectively set in the different function modules 1766-1 to1766-n based on the environment in which the communication module 1660is used. Furthermore, different kinds of sensors may be combined asrequired. Some of the sensors may be wirelessly connected to theexternal module connector 1778 (via radio wave infrared, supersonicwave, or the like).

Furthermore, the actuator module 1670 used in different function modules1766-1 to 1766-n may be, for example, an electric switch, mechanicalswitch light emitting substance, heat generator, reformable substance(shape memory medium), and elastic substance (rubber), selectedoptionally based on a use.

Here, one or more different function modules 1766-1, 1766-2, . . . , and1766-n may be formed on the insulating substrate 1660-1. Furthermore,some of the different function modules may optionally be connected tothe communication module 1660 via the external module connector 1778.

Furthermore, the communication module 1660 includes a power supplier1776 and is connected to a power source via the power supplier 1776. Thepower source may be provided apart from the communication module 1660.Alternately, a power source mount may be provided with the insulatingsubstrate 1660-1 such that the power source is formed integrally withthe communication module 1660.

The following various schemes can be used to charge battery in a powersource (not shown). For example, there is a scheme by which current fromsolar power generating elements is charged in a battery. This schemecorresponds to the combination of the solar electricity generator module(solar cell) 1552 and the battery charger module (battery) 1554 in FIG.5. There is another scheme by which current induced in a coil by anelectromagnetic wave effect is charged in a battery. This schemecorresponds to the combination of the near-field communication module1560 and the battery charge module (battery) 1554 in FIG. 5. There isanother scheme by which a voltage produced in piezoelectric elements bymechanical oscillation is converted into current and is charged in abattery. The mechanical oscillation may be made by, for example,pressure and vibration of sound, pressure and vibration by aerialsubstance (wind, gas, and the like), and pressure and vibration byliquid (water and oil), selected optionally. Based on an environment inwhich the communication module 1660 is used, one or more schemes or acombination of several schemes can be selected.

The antenna connector 1774, external module connector 1778, and powersupplier are connected to the signal processor 1780. Furthermore, theprocessor 1736, memory 1790, and signal processor 1780 are connectedsuch that mutual communication can be established via the bus BUS in thecommunication module 1660. Here, the processor 1736 controls the generaloperation of the communication module 1660 based on the applicationsstored in the application storage 1792 of the memory 1790.

The processor 1736 and the signal processor 1780 are operated based onthe applications. Processes performed therein include, for example, atake-in process of outputs from the sensor module 1260, output processesof control signals to the actuator module 1670 and the display module1226, cooperative control process with the processor module 1680,input/output process of recorded data with respect to the memory module1690, feeding process of transfer signals to the antenna ANT_1772,take-in process of reception signal from the antenna ANT_1772, datawrite to the memory 1790, and data read from the memory 1790.

The memory 1790 includes an application change software storage 1791 anda security target data storage 1799. The memory 1790 further includes anactuator module management data storage 1792, sensor module managementdata storage 1796, self attribution data storage 1793, life managementdata storage 1794, and operation period management data storage 1795.

The actuator module management data storage 1792 in the memory 1790stores management data of the actuator module 1670 connected theretothrough the external module connector 1778. Furthermore, the sensormodule management data storage 1796 stores management data of the sensormodule 1260 connected thereto through the external module connector1778.

For example, the communication module 1660 is sometimes inspected duringthe inspection of the communication module 1660, or at the time ofshipment from the factory. When an inspection device (not shown) gives aparticular command to the communication module 1660 during theinspection through the antenna ANT_1772, management data of the actuatormodule 1670 stored in the actuator module management data storage 1792and/or management data of the sensor module 1260 stored in the modulemanagement data storage 1796 are read. The management data read therefrom are sent to the inspection device through the antenna ANT_1772. Theinspection device can refer to a sensing performance and a driveperformance of the communication module 1660.

Note that, although this is not shown in FIG. 7B, the memory 1790 mayinclude a processor module management data storage which storesmanagement data of the processor module 1680, memory module managementdata storage which stores management data of the memory module 1690, ordisplay module management data storage which stores management data ofthe display module 1226.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 1, the system of the present embodimentincludes a plurality of systems (systems α_1132 and β_1134) in the samedomain 2_1122-2. Similarly, domain 1_1122-1 and domain 3_1122-3 eachinclude one or more systems (in many cases, include several systems).Furthermore, such systems may be used for different purposes and fieldssuch as a consumer products field, infrastructure field, and healthcarefield. Thus, even if a combination module 1295 or a unit 1290 includingthe communication module 1660 of FIG. 7B moves between such systems ofdifferent purposes and fields, the operation of the combination module1295 or the unit 1290 can be optimized corresponding to each system.That is, if the combination module 1295 or the unit 1290 moves betweenthe systems α_1132 and β_1134 of the same domain 2_1122-2 or differentsystems of different domains 1_1122-2, 2_1122-2, and 3_1122-3, theoperation of the combination module 1295 or the unit 1290 changesarbitrarily to be optimized for the application fields and purposes ofthe system α_1132 (or system β_1134). To achieve the above, the memory1790 includes at least one of an application storage 1792, applicationchange software storage (application change software) 1791, securitytarget data storage 1799, self attribution data storage 1793, lifemanagement data storage 1794, and operation period management datastorage 1795. Thus, the combination module 1295 or the unit 1290 of thepresent embodiment can be used with flexible system applicability andversatility.

As described above, a unit 1290 (cf. FIG. 3A) includes a combinationmodule 1295 (cf. FIG. 4) or a device 1250 (cf. FIG. 2) in which acommunication module 1660 of FIG. 7B or a communication module 1202 isincorporated. In the unit 1290, data may be preliminarily recorded in atleast any one of the application storage 1792, security target datastorage 1799, self attribution data storage 1793, life management datastorage 1794, and operation period management data storage 1795 throughexternal radio waves. Additionally, a system controller α_1126 may writesuch data in such a storage at the time of a check-in process executedby a user after purchase of the unit 1290 or of a plug-in process(described in Section 4.2).

The application change software storage 1791 is used if a modificationor a change occurs in an application which controls the operation of thecommunication module 1660. For example, if the combination module 1295or the unit 1290 including the communication module 1660 is transferredfrom one system to another system (for example, from system β_1134 tosystem α_1132), a plug-in process is performed a teach transference. Ifapplication field or purpose is significantly different between systemβ_1134 of pre-transference and system α_1132 of post-transference,software used for execution of new application is sent from the systemcontroller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128) configured tomanage/control/operate system α_1132 of post-transference through thecommunication module 1202-3 of FIG. 2. The software used for executionof new application is arbitrarily stored in the application changesoftware storage (application change software) 1791. The process of theprocessor 1736 is performed based on the software used for execution ofnew application, and thus, even if the combination module 1295 or theunit 1290 is transferred to system α_1132 directed to a totallydifferent application field or purpose the operation of system α_1132can be optimized.

Here, a change of application may be initiated as follows: thecommunication module 1660 requires new application, or an applicationchange command is given externally (for example, from the systemcontroller systems α_1126). Such a change of application may occur invarious occasions such as when the communication module 1660 is shippedfrom a factory, when the operation mode is switched from one to anotherduring the use, when the environment of the communication module 1660 ischanged (transference between systems α_1132 and β_1134), or when aperiod of use of the communication module 1660 is fulfilled. Since theapplication change software storage (application change software) 1791is disposed in the memory 1790, the communication module 1660 can freelychange, add, or update application to correspond tea change ofenvironment or purpose.

On the other hand, the application storage 1792 of the memory 1790 ofFIG. 7B includes common application software which is irrelevant to achange of the system. Therefore, the combination module 1295 or the unit1290 including the communication module 1660 is transferred betweendifferent systems, the common application software preliminarily storedin the application storage 1792 is not changed and is stored/usedcontinuously therein.

Note that the application software stored in the application changesoftware storage (application change software) 1791 and in theapplication storage 1792 is described using a particular programlanguage or a script (including machine language). The applicationsoftware 3050 may include an API command 3045 corresponding to anOS_3030 (or a particular command) as described later with reference toFIG. 18B. Or, the application software may be described using a Javascript, or a machine language and its relevant language as describedlater with reference to FIGS. 19A and 19B. Or, it may be described usinga web-related language such as Hyper-text Markup Language (HTML) orExtensible Markup Language (XML).

The security target data storage 1799 is used for storage of highlyimportant data such as personal sensitive data. Furthermore, thesecurity target data storage 1799 may be used for storage of optionaldata privately.

For example, a communication module 1660 is used in a patient's recordcard in a hospital. In such a usage, personal sensitive data (includingpatient's name, age, disease, treatment progress) are stored in thesecurity target data storage 1799. Here, such a patient's record card isnot permanently kept in a hospital and may be discarded, or may bereplaced with a new record card. In such a case, the data of securitytarget existing in the communication module must be erased.

Erase of the security target data can be performed through various waysat arbitrary timing. For example, the security target data are erasedwhen the communication module 1660 does not make a communication withthe system controller α_1126 for a particular period. In that case, thecommunication module 1660 is determined to be discarded or replacedarbitrarily and the security target data is erased. Or, the systemcontroller α_1126 may request the communication module 1660 to erase thesecurity target data. Or, the security target data may be erased whenthe sensor module 1260 connected to the communication module 1660detects a particular atmosphere and/or an element (such as a pressure,heat, humidity, and moisture). That is, if the sensor module 1260detects a particular atmosphere and/or an element (such as a pressure,heat, humidity, and moisture), the processor 1736 automaticallyrecognizes a change in the environment and erases the security targetdata. Or, the security target data may be erased when particularconditions are met.

On the other hand, if record cards are restored and the security targetdata need to be moved to a new record card, the system controller α_1126may control transference and reception of the security target databetween the record cards.

The self attribution data storage 1793 includes attribution dataindicative of how to handle a unit (product, component, material, oritem) in which the communication module 1660 is, for example, attached,bonded mounted, or embedded. Specifically, attribution data may includeidentification data of the unit (item name, component name, or productname) and identification data of a factory location or a manufacturer.

For example, a combination module 1295 (or a unit 1290) including acommunication module 1660 is adhered to or embedded in an aluminum canfor beverage. Aluminum cans are used, and may be recycled. Ifattribution data indicate that a material of the target in which themodule is adhered to or embedded in is aluminum, aluminum cans can beautomatically sorted and sent to a section for aluminum recycle processin a recycle plant. In that case, the entirety of the recycle plantcorresponds to the system α_1132 and a sorting machine in the recycleplant corresponds to the system controller α_1126. The sorting machinecorresponding to the system controller α_1126 sends a particular commandto the communication module 1660 and reads the self attribution data.The material of the can be determined based on the self attributiondata.

On the other hand, a combination module 1295 (or unit 1290) includingthe communication module 1660 may be embedded in a plastic bottle forbeverage. In that case, a sorting machine sends a particular command tothe communication module 1660 to read self attribution data andrecognizes that the bottle is plastic. The sorting machine can easilyand automatically send the bottle to a section for plastic recycleprocess. The above example does not intend any limitation; selfattribution data can be used for any object (component, product, item,device, material, and item) in which the combination module 1295 (orunit 1290) including the communication module 1660 is adhered, embedded,bonded, or attached.

Here, if a combination module 1295 (or unit 1290) including thecommunication module 1660 is transferred from one system to another, theenvironment may change. The content of the self attribution data mayprogressively change to correspond to such a change of the environment.For example, if a can for beverage is displayed in a store, data such asa price, display location, and item category may be stored in the memory1790 as the self attribution data. In that case, the system controllerα_1126 which monitor the store may perform a stock check and accountingservice for customers using the self attribution data.

As another example, a combination module 1295 (or unit 1290) may beadded to a fish. Fish are caught in the sea, shipped to a port, sold toa bidder in an auction held in the port, delivered by an automobile to amarket store, and bought by a customer.

For example, a tag (combination module 1295/unit 1290) added to a fishincludes a sensor module 1260 which is a combination of a temperaturesensor and a humidity sensor for quality control. In this example, theself attribution data include a suitable temperature range, suitablehumidity range, and edibility expiration date. Here, the selfattribution data will be input by a fisherman or a market manager.

If an ambient temperature or humidity exceeds a suitable range duringthe transportation or storage of the fish, the communication module 1660can send a first alert signal to the system controller α_1126 disposedin a ship or transport truck. Furthermore, when the edibility expirationdate approaches and passes, a second alert signal and a third alertsignal are sent, respectively, through an antenna 1772.

Then, when fish are displayed in a store, data such as a price, displaylocation, and item category are added to the self attribution data. Inthat case, the self attribution data are automatically sent from anothersystem controller α_1126 in the store to be stored in the memory 1790.Using the self attribution data, the stock check and accounting servicefor customers can be performed.

As above, when a combination module 1295/unit 1290 is moved from onesystem to another (system α_1132, for example) to be disposed therein(to belong thereto), the self attribution data 1793 are automaticallyadded to or updated in the combination module 1295/unit 1290 by thesystem controller α_1126 which manages, controls, and operates thesystem α_1132. Therefore, the flexibility and versatility of thecombination module 1295 or the unit 1290 can be improved. That is, usingthe self attribution data added or updated as above, the systemcontroller α_1126 can perform a suitable process for the system α_1132.

Or, the self attribution data may be used to allow a communicationmodule 1660 to respond to a particular command (request signal) and tooutput a response signal which acknowledges the presence of thecommunication module 1660. For example, a communication module 1660 isembedded in a surgical instrument or an inspection tool of an airplaneor a train. In that case, an operation site is considered as a systemα_1132, and a system controllers 1126 disposed in the operation siterequests the communication module 1660 to respond. A response from thecommunication module 660 in the operation site (system α_1132) indicatesa surgical instrument or an inspection tool left in the operation site.Using a data communication process of the self attribution data, itemsleft after surgery or inspection can be detected.

As another example of the use of the self attribution data 1793, ownerdata of a unit 1290 (or a combination module 1295, or a device 1250) maybe added thereto. To sell a unit 1290 (or a combination module 1295, ora device 1250) with the self attribution data 1793 recorded therein, itis displayed in a store as described above. In that case, the storecorresponds to a system β_1134. When a user buys the unit 1290 (orcombination module 1295, or device 1250), it is moved to the user'shouse. The user's house corresponds to a system α_1132 (cf. FIG. 1).Therefore, the unit 1290 (or combination module 1295, or device 1250) isdisposed indifferent systems before and after its sale. When the unit1290 is disposed in the user's house, the system controller α_1126 usedfor management, operation, and data collection in the system α_1132performs a check-in process as described in Section 4.2. At that time,the system controller α_1126 records user data related to the owner to apart of the self attribution data 1793. The user data include, not onlythe name of the owner, but also an ID, address, phone number, and mailaddress of the user. Using the user data recorded to a part of the selfattribution data 1793, a unit 1290 can be easily located if it is lostoutside.

The owner is not limited to the user of the unit 1290. The owner may bea person, organization, or corporate who or which is related to the useof the unit 1290 (or combination module 1295, or device 1250). Or, theowner may be a person, organization, or corporate whoor which is relatedto the use of an item, component, or material in which the combinationmodule 1295 with the self attribution data 1793 recorded therein isdisposed, inserted, or mixed.

For example, a combination module 1295 with the self attribution data1793 recorded therein is inserted or mixed in a pill or a powderedmedicine. When a user swallows such a pill or medicine in a hospital,nursing home, or house, the system controller α_1126 records the nameand the date of intake to the self attribution data 1793. The name ofthe medicine is also recorded to the self attribution data 1793. When auser goes to some place where a system controller β_1134 is disposed,the system controller β_1134 can refer to and manage data indicative ofwho takes what medicine at what time. For a person who suffers from achronic disease taking medicines regularly is very important but easilymissed. If such a system controller β_1134 can manage the above dataregularly, disremembering of taking medicine can be prevented.

As above, the self attribution data 1793 include a plurality of dataitems related to each other, and thus, the combination module 1295 (unit1290) with the self attribution data 1793 recorded therein can easilymanage its use condition with high accuracy.

The life management data storage 1794 can store life management dataused to manage the life of the combination module 1295 (or unit 1290)including the communication module 1660. The life management dataindicate a life limit of the combination module 1295 (or unit 1290)including the communication module 1660. After the life limit passes,the communication module 1660 stops its operation. Thus, there is nounnecessary radiation of radio waves after the life limit.

For example, when a beverage can is wasted or a fish is cooked, a tagtherein (combination module 1295/unit 1290) is no longer useful. If thememory 1790 includes the life management data storage 1794 and the tagcan be stopped automatically after the life limit as above, produce ofunnecessary radio waves within the system α_1132 can be prevented. Bypreventing such produce of unnecessary radio waves, the datacommunication efficiency in the system α_1132 can be improved.

The operation period management data storage 1795 can store data usedfor setting an operation period of the communication module 1660. Theoperation period and a sleep period of the communication module 1660 areset based on its environment and condition of use to increase a powersave effect and to prevent interference with periphery devices. Usingthe operation period management data, the operation period and the sleepperiod can be set hourly and the operation period and the sleep periodcan be set based on outputs from the sensor.

Section 1.7 Explanation of Whole Structure of Wide Area Network Systemof Embodiments

The system of the present embodiment has been described in Section 1.1.In this section, a whole structure of a wide area network system of thepresent embodiment while explained in detail with reference to FIG. 1.As shown in FIG. 1, the service provider B_1112-2 acquires items (ordata) from the wholesale firm B1_1104-1 and/or wholesale firm B2_1104-2which handle similar items (or data) for providing services.

The wholesale firms A_1102, B1_1104-1, and B2_1104-2 are managementorganizations handling particular items and data. Such organizationsinclude, for example, a private profit making organization including anincorporated foundation and a business corporation, and also a publicorganization such as a government, local government, public corporation,and public-service corporation. Thus, from the standpoints of theservice provides A_1112-1 to C_1112-3, the wholesale firms may includenot only a company of business but also a trustee of a particularservice or a guide/approver of a particular service. For example, if thewholesale firm is a company of business of the service providersA_1112-1 to C_1112-3, items handled by the wholesale firm include commongoods such as power, gas, water, and gasoline, and also include generalmaterials, liquid assets such as cash, bond, and jewelry, and fixedassets such as real estate, and also include valuable information whichis difficult to obtain through the ordinary web (information related tomarket research, specific individual, or specific area, specifically,local weather information, or local traffic information, or the like).

The service providers A_1112-1 to C_1112-3 in the system of the presentembodiment are organizations which provide particular services.Especially, the service providers A_1112-1 to C_1112-3 perform generalmanagement of particular services. Furthermore, services provided by theservice providers include various services which use data obtained fromthe sensor module 1260 described later. As specified later, dataobtained from a sensor module within the domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3through the network are transferred to a server n_1116-n within theservice provider B_1112-2 with data related to the obtained data, andthe service provider B_1112-2 provides particular services based on thedata. As can be understood from the above, in the system of the presentembodiment, the service providers A_1112-1 to C_1112-3 can extract itemsand data from domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3. Furthermore, the serviceprovider B_1112-2 includes a plurality of servers 1_1116-1 to n_1116-nand manages databases 1118-1-n of the servers 1_1116-1 to n_1116-n.Furthermore, distributed processings performed cooperatively by theservers 1_1116-1 to n_1116-n to accelerate the process. Although this isomitted from FIG. 1, servers and corresponding databases are disposed inthe service provider A_1112-1 and the service provider C_1112-3.

As a specific operation, a service provider can distribute (let in andlet out) items and data received from the wholesale firm A_1102 or thewholesale firm B1_1104-1 and B2_1104-2 in the domains 1_1122-1 to3_1122-3. Such a service will be categorized into the followingexamples:

α] Retailing item sand data handled by the wholesale firms A_1102,B1_1104-1, and B2_1104-2 to end users;

β] Independently processing items and data handled by the wholesalefirms A_1102, B1_1104-1, and B2_1104-2 and providing the end users witha result of the processing;

γ] Providing a service determined to be optimal based on data obtainedfrom a sensor module; and

δ] Combination of α] to γ].

Here, retail items handled by service providers include common goodssuch as power, gas, water, and gasoline, and also include generalmaterials, liquid assets such as cash, bond, and jewelry, and fixedassets such as real estate. Data (items) handled by service providersalso include valuable information which is difficult to obtain throughthe ordinary web (information related to market research, specificindividual, or specific area, specifically local weather information, orlocal traffic information, or the like).

The service provider A_1112-1 obtains items (or data) from the wholesalefirm A_1102 which are different from those of the wholesale firmsB1_1104-1 and B2_1104-1 and provides a different service. Between theservice provider A_1112-1 and the service provider B_1112-2, or betweenthe service provider B_1112-2 and the service provider C_1112-3, dataand resource sharing 1114 is performed to facilitate and advance theservice. Furthermore, the service provider A_1112-1 includes aparticular item storage 1154 to store the items obtained from thewholesale firm A_1102. Furthermore, the service provider A_1112-2 ofFIG. 1 includes a particular item generator 1152 which manufactures anew item by materializing an item obtained from the wholesale firmA_1102, or generates a new item (or new data) by processing an item (ordata) obtained from the wholesale firm A_1102. Although this is omittedfrom FIG. 1, a particular item storage 1154 and a particular itemgenerator 1152 are disposed in the service providers B_2 and C_1112-3.

The particular item generator 1152 of FIG. 1 generates an original itemto which an original additional value is added. As an example of thegeneration of such an original item, there is a treatment process of araw material obtained from the wholesale firm A_1102. In manufacturingindustries, product manufacturing factories correspond the particularitem generator 1152. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, theparticular item generator 1152 may correspond to a power plant includinga solar power generator, windpower, generator, thermal power generator,or geothermal power generator, and to a peripheral installment such as asubstation or a transmission station. Furthermore, the system of thepresent embodiment is not limited to the above example, and a productionlocation of common goods including a refinery of gasoline or a reservoirmay correspond to the particular item generator 1152. In addition, alocation where original information is generated in the service providerA as a form of an item may correspond to the particular item generator1152. For example, various data available on the internet may beanalyzed, and such analyzed data may be used in, for example, a marketresearch or a weather forecast. Such analyzed data are a form of theoriginal item.

Note that the particular item storage 1154 of FIG. 1 temporarily storesthe following items (including data):

α] Items and data received from the wholesale firm A_1102 or thewholesale firms B1_1104-1 and B2_1104-2;

β] Items and data generated in the particular item generator 1152;

γ] Items and data extracted from the domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3; and

δ] Combination of α] to γ].

For example, when an item temporarily stored in the particular itemstorage 1154 is power, the storage 1154 is composed of a battery,charge/discharge monitor (which corresponds to a smart meter 1124 in thesystem α_1132), and charge/discharge controller. Or, when an itemtemporarily stored is tap water or town gas, the storage 1154 iscomposed of a water tank or a gas tank, charge/discharge monitor, andcharge/discharge controller.

Services from the service providers A_1112-1 to C_1112-3 are received bythe domain 2_1122-2 or the system α_1132 therein (described later). Aprice of the service is directly paid to the service providers A_1112-1to C_1112-3. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, a server n_1116-n within theservice provide B_1112-2 and the particular item storage 1154 within theservice provider A_1112-1 are connected to the smart meter 1124 and thesystem controller α_1126 within the domain 2_1122-2 and the systemα_1132 through a network. Furthermore, as depicted by dotted lines inFIG. 1, the smart meter 1124 is connected to the wholesale firm A_1102and directly communicates therewith. Here, in the example of FIG. 1, avalue measured by the smart meter 1124 is transmitted to the servern_1116-n in the service provider B_1112-2, the system controller α_1126in the system α_1132, or the wholesale firm A_1102. Alternatively, thevalue measured by the smart meter 1124 may be transmitted to the systemcontroller β_1128 in the system β_1134 in the domain 2_1122-2 or otherdevices in the domain 2_1122-2.

The smart meter 1124 is a device which measures the amount ofinflow/outflow items (similar items) between the inside and the outsideof the domain 2_1122-2 (or system α_1126) at certain intervals. Thesmart meter 1124 mainly measures the inflow/outflow of common goods suchas power, gas, water, and sewerage and it can collect the inflow (or theamount consumed in the inside) of such goods along with the outflow (theamount sold to the outside) of such goods as measurement values. In thesystem of the present embodiment, however, the smart meter 1124 maymeasure not only the inflow/outflow of such common goods but also theinflow/outflow of general goods, liquid assets, and specific informationdealt through electronic commerce or mail-orders, and results may besent out.

Especially, in the system of the present embodiment, a communicationmodule 1202-1 is included in the smart meter 1124 (FIG. 8A), and itsends out the measurement values of the smart meter 1124 at certainintervals. Furthermore, the intervals can be arbitrarily changed by theserver n_1116-n, system controller α_1126, or wholesale firm A_1102. Or,the measurement value of the smart meter 1124 may not be sent out atcertain intervals but may be sent out at any arbitrary timing requestedby the system controller α_1126, server n_1116-n, or wholesale firmA_1102. Or, the measurement value of the smart meter 1124 may be sentout when the smart meter 1124 itself determines data sending necessary.

An example of a service provided by the service provider A_1112-1 usingthe smart meter 1124 will be explained. In this example, particularitems and particular data preliminarily stored in the particular itemstorage 1154 in the service provider A_1112-1 are sent to the domain2_1122-2 (or in the system α_1132) through the system controller α_1126or the smart meter 1124. Or, items left in the domain 2_1122-2 (or inthe system α_1132) may be returned to the particular item storage 1154through the smart meter 1124. Then, a different between the amount ofitems supplied from the particular item storage 1154 to the domain2_1122-2 (or in the system α_1132) and the amount of items returned tothe particular item storage 1154 through the smart meter 1124 is chargedby the service provider A_1112-1 as a used item amount.

In parallel, the domain 2_1122-2 may directly receive items (or data)using the infrastructure and delivery system owned or managed by thewholesale firm A_1102 or the wholesale firm B1_1104-1 and B2_1104-2.That is, as depicted in FIG. 1 with a dotted line between the wholesalefirm A_1102 and the smart meter 1124, items (or data) handled by thewholesale firm A_1102 may be directly sent to the domain 2_1122-2 or thesystem α_1132 therein through the smart meter 1124. In that case, at thesame time, data related to the contents and amount of the items (ordata) received by the domain 2_1122-2 are notified from the smart meter1124 to the server n_1116-n in the service provider B_1112-2 one afteranother, and a service fee is periodically charged to a user from theservice provider B_1112-2 based on the notification data. Here, pathwaysfrom the wholesale firm A_1102 to the smart meter 1124 which functionsas a window of the item supply to the domain 2_1122-2 or the systemα_1132 are prepared in a plurality of ways (the direct line which isrepresented by the dotted line and lines going through the serviceprovider A_1112-1 between the wholesale firm A_1102 and the smart meter1124 in FIG. 1), and with these pathways, original services can beprovided by the service provider A_1112-1. Original services achievedthereby will be described in Section 5.2.1.

Now, the domain 2_1122-2 and the system α_1132 therein which can receiveservices from the service providers A_1112-1 to C_1112-3 through a widearea network will be explained. As shown in FIG. 1, one domain 2_1122-2includes one or more systems α/β_1132/1134, and the systemsα/β_1132/1134 include system controllers α/β_1126/1128, respectively.Furthermore, the system controllers α/β_1126/1128 and the smart meter1124 may be connected to each other directly or through the servern_1116-n for mutual data transference. Furthermore, the system α_1132may be divided into sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m (sections will bedescribed in Chapter 4.)

As described above, the system of the present embodiment allowscoexistence of a plurality of different systems (client systems) at thesame time. In consideration of the contents of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, thereis a complex client system (corresponding the domain 2_1122-2 of FIG. 1)including a plurality of client systems α_1132 (and β_1134) (clientsystems α_1132 and client systems β_1134) with a unit 1290 whichacquires or prepares data for communication and a system controllerα_1126 (and β_1128) which acquires and manages the data from the unit1290, wherein the system controller α_1126 which manages the clientsystem α_1132 included in the complex client system (domain 2_1122-2)divides a plurality of units 1295-1 to 1295-7 into management targetsections (sections 1_1142-1, 2_1142-1 and m_1142-m in FIG. 2), and datarelated to each section of each unit (section data in FIG. 23) aremaintained.

Here, the domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3 are a network space including oneor more cooperative systems. Especially, a domain of the system of thepresent embodiment corresponds to a network space as a target of variouscondition measurements or a network space as a target of a particularoperation or execution or a target of management and execution (relatedto a particular service). To participate and operate in a particulardomain, an identification information ID unique to the domain and aunique password may be necessary in some cases. Here, if the systemsα/β_1132/1134 are associated with particular locations which arephysically or geographically close to each other, the domains 1_1122-1to 3_1122-3 are associated with particular areas on the networkmanaged/used by members of a particular group which can transcends suchphysical and geographical restriction. The system α_1132 is a minimumunit of the network system in which internal units are connected to eachother through the network and a single system controller α_1126 isdisposed. Furthermore, the network system is managed and operated by thesystem controller α_1126. The physical and geographical range of thesystem α_1132 may be set as particular areas which are physically andgeographically close to each other related to one or more particularusers (an area defined by a behavioral range of one or more particularusers within a particular period of time, for example). The systemα_1132 in the present embodiment may be associated with a network unitspecified by particular identification information such as personal areanetwork (PAN), local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network(MAN), and wide area network (WAN). For example, according to instituteof electrical and electronic engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4, identificationinformation of personal area network identifier (PANID) should be set toeach PAN, and a single PAN defined by such PANID may be associated witha system of the present embodiment. Or, as other examples, a system maybe associated with one home, one vehicle, one peripheral space of amobile device, or one work station area.

Furthermore, one system includes one or more system controllersα/β_1126/1128 to manage and operate the communication within networksystems which correspond to the systems α/β_1132/1134. Furthermore, asdescribed above, using the system controllers α/β_1126/1128, connectionto a wide area network which is outside the systems α/β_1132/1134(network used for data communication with the service providers A_1112-1to C_1112-3) is established. Furthermore, the system controllersα/β_1126/1128 include processors used for collection and properprocessing of signals and data obtained from one or more sensor moduleswithin the same systems α/β_1132/1134 (sensor modules 1260 describedlater with reference to FIGS. 8A and 9). Such a system controller maybe, for example, a personal computer (PC), a mobile device such as asmartphone, tablet, and mobile phone, processor-equipped switchboard,processor-equipped refrigerator, television, recorder, and audiorecorder. Furthermore, the smart meter 1124 may include a processor tofunction as a system controller α_1126, or a remote controller of an airconditioner, television, or illumination device may include a processorand a communication module (communication module 1202 described laterwith reference to FIGS. 8A and 9) to function as a system controller.However, no limitation is intended thereby, and in the presentembodiment, any processor-equipped device including a program used forcollecting signals and data obtained from a sensor module in a systemand providing services to users may be used as a system controller.Furthermore, a system controller may be composed of a physicalcombination of several devices or may be a sum of cooperative operationsof several devices.

Especially, when a processor and a communication module are installed ina remote controller to be used as a system controller and such a remotecontroller is fixed or detachably attached on a wall or a shelve byscrews or the like, an original use (and an advantage obtained thereby)is achieved. In that case, such a remote controller needs be fixed orpositioned in a location from which infrared communication with a maindevice such as an air conditioner, television, and illumination deviceis performable. Furthermore, sensor/communication modules (describedlater with reference to FIG. 8B) related to temperature sensors, aircurrent sensors, or close-range motion sensors are provided with manypositions in a room to allow communication with the remote controller(system controller α_1126) in the system α_1132. Thereby, servicesincluding a prioritized temperature control of exact locations of usersin a room with high accuracy, and a display control of a television toshow three-dimensional images for different users in different positionswith naked eyes are provided with users. Thus, by simply replacing acommercially-available remote controller with the above remotecontroller with system controller function, its correspondingcommercially-available device (air conditioner, television, orillumination device) which has already been installed can be operatedmore efficiently.

In many cases of the conventional techniques related tomachine-to-machine (M2M) or internet of things (IoT), a cloud server(which corresponds to a server n_1116-n of FIG. 1) collects the entiresignals and data obtained from home sensor modules in a house, andservices are provided with end users directly from the cloud server. Insuch cases, a system controller α_1126 simply functions as a gateway ora router as in FIG. 9 to relay signals and data transference on thenetwork. Such conventional techniques face:

(1) a problem that personal data of a user is sent to a server n_1116-nwhich is relatively public and the security thereof may be jeopardized;and

(2) a problem that services to end users become unavailable if a troubleoccurs in a communication line between the system controller α_1126 orthe smart meter 1124 and the server n_1116-n, and the whole system isvulnerable.

In the present embodiment, the system controller α_1126 functions notonly as a gateway or a router configured to relay the signal and datatransference on the network but also as a processor configured toperform determination, conversion, treatment of the collected signalsand data from sensor modules and to perform original services to theusers based on the signals and data. Thereby, in the present embodiment:

(1) the personal data of a user can be secured since the systemcontroller α_1126 independently determines whether or not each signaland data transference to server n_1116-n is performed; and

(2) original services can be provided with users based on thedetermination by the system controller α_1126 based on the collectedsignals and data from the sensor modules, and since these services canbe performed even if there is a trouble in the communication lines tothe servers n_1116-n, the whole system structure becomes strong.Especially, the system controller α_1126 of the present embodiment cangather the data from the sensor modules 1260 determine/estimatebehaviors of users (for example, if a user is present, or if a user issleeping or not) and conditions of users (for example, if a user is achild or adult) and can estimate requests of users. Therefore, evenwithout a server n_1116-n, suitable services can be provided with usersindependently by the domain 2_1122-2.

Furthermore, in the system of the present embodiment, system controllersα/β_1126/1128 can work cooperatively in the domain 2_1122-2. Therefore,one system controller α_1126 can collect signals and data obtained fromthe entire sensor modules in the domain 2_1122-2 (and, although this isnot depicted, including sensor modules disposed in the system β_1134).As a result, the system controller α_1126 can collect data in the domain2_1122-2 and provide suitable service in the system α_1132 to users.

To achieve the cooperative operation of the system controllersα/β_1126/1128 in the domain 2_1122-2, the present embodiment providestwo network pathways: a direct network pathway through which data aredirectly exchanged between the system controllers α/β_1126/1128 using,for example, wireless communication as in FIG. 1; and a indirect networkpathway through which data are indirectly exchanged between the systemcontrollers α/β_1126/1128 through a server n_1116-n using, for example,the internet. Thus, users can receive various services. For example, ifa home PC is a system controller α_1126 and a mobile device such as asmartphone or a tablet is a system controller β_1128, and they arephysically close to each other, rapid data exchange can be performedthrough wireless local area network (WLAN) or wireless personal localarea network (WPAN). If the internet line including a cable one is usedbetween the system controllers α/β_1126/1128, data exchange therebetweenis guaranteed regardless of the physical distance therebetween. Ifdirect data exchange is performed between the system controllersα/β_1126/1128, privacy is kept therebetween without involving a servern_1116-n, and a possibility of leakage of personal sensitive data to theserver n_1116-n which is relatively public. The server n_1116-n canacquire data such as local weather forecast data or traffic jam data,which are not acquirable in the domain 2_1122-2, through a differentnetwork pathway. Therefore, the system controllers α/β_1126/1128 canperform indirect data exchange there between through the server n_1116-nand can provide various services using the data originally owned by theserver n_1116-n to users. Here, as mentioned above, the systemcontroller α_1126 itself can estimate behaviors and conditions of usersand desired and requests of users, and thus, the system controllerα_1126 itself can switch, based on its own determination, connectionpathway between the systems controllers α/β_1126/1128.

Section 1.8 Explanation of Local Network System Structure of Embodiments

In Section 1.1, a structural example of local network system in thesystem α_1132 in the domain 2_1122-2 of FIG. 1 has been explained withreference to FIG. 2. In this section, examples of systems other thanthat of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 9.

In the example of FIG. 8A, devices 1250-1-3 include communicationmodules 1202-4-6, respectively, and allow data communication within thesystem α_1132. Furthermore, the devices 1250-1-3 include sensor modules1260-1-5 and an actuator module 1270-1. In the example of FIG. 8B, therelationship between the communication modules 1202-4-6 and the sensormodules 1260-1-5 of FIG. 8A is interpreted and managed as sensorcombination modules 1460-1-5. Similarly, the relationship between thecommunication module 1202 and the actuator module 1270 is interpretedand managed as actuator combination modules 1470-1-2. Or, as explainedin Section 1.3, they may be interpreted and managed as a combinationmodule 1295 including, for example, a process combination module 1465,memory combination module 1475, and display combination module 1478. Or,as the sensor combination module 1460-5 of FIG. 8B, a single combinationmodule may be disposed alone.

In the system of the present embodiment, the amount (or total amount) ofcommon goods such as power, gas, clean water/sewerage used in a singlesystem (for example, system α_1132) in every particular period ismeasured automatically and the data measured are periodically andautomatically sent out by a smart meter 1124. Actually, one smart meter1124 is disposed to each item of the common goods including power, gas,and clean water/sewerage; however, for the sake of simple illustration,the smart meter 1124 alone is depicted in the examples of FIGS. 8A and8B. Or, the amount (or total amount) of common goods of each ofsectional 1142-1, and 2_1142-2, which are described later, may beautomatically measured and sent out.

The smart meter 1124 includes, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 9, an inflowmonitor 1208 (for example, buy-power amount measure) and an outflowmonitor 1206 (for example, sell-power amount measure). With the outflowmonitor 1206, excess of common goods in the system α_1132 is measuredand discharged (sold) to the wholesale firm A_1102 by the smart meter1124. Each measurement value (or accumulation value) obtained in thesmart meter 1124 is periodically reported to a server n_1116-n through acommunication module 1202-1, and to the wholesale firm A_1102.

The communication modules 1202 shown in FIGS. 8A and 9 are communicationfunction parts conformable to wired or wireless data transferencecommunication schemes. The communication function parts conforms towired data transference communication scheme such as local image signaltransference line, local audio signal transference line, phone line, andinternet-related Ethernet (registered trademark) correspondingcommunication line. Furthermore, the communication function partsconforms to wireless data transference communication schemes includingclose range wireless communication scheme such as ZigBee (registeredtrademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ultra wide band (UWB), andZ-wave, middle range wireless communication schemes such as wirelessfidelity (Wi-Fi), EnOcean, and long range wireless communication schemessuch as second generation/personal digital cellular (2G/PDC), globalsystem for mobile communications (GSM) (registered trademark), thirdgeneration/code division multiple access (3G/CDMA), and world wideinteroperability for microwave access (WiMAX).

Especially, the system of the present embodiment has a function toexecute minimum essential processes in the communication modules 1202and 1660 as described later with reference to FIG. 10A. Thus, thecommunication protocol (communication data) structured as in FIGS. 11 to15B, which will be described in Chapter 2, is processed and executed inthe communication modules 1202 and 1660. Such a process may be performedin accordance to basic (standard) application with versatile programsuch as Java script which does not require a particular OS. Or, such aprocess may be performed in accordance with ECMA script, decryption ofHTML or HTML5, or execution of Java applet corresponding to thedecryption, for example. No limitation is intended by theabove-mentioned commercially-available versatile scripts, and originalprocessing scheme may be adopted.

In the examples of FIGS. 8A and 9, the communication module 1202 isstored in each of the system controller α_1126, smart meter 1124, anddevices 1250 to allow data communication therebetween. As shown in FIGS.8A and 9, either a sensor module 1260 or an actuator module 1270 or bothare disposed in each of the devices 1250.

In the example of FIG. 8A, the devices 1250-1-3 disposed in the systemα_1132 use the communication modules 1202-4-6, respectively and performdata communication with the system controller α_1126 through thecommunication module 1202-3. As in FIG. 8A, there are three types ofdevices, that is, a device including one or more sensor modules as thedevices 1250-2-3 including sensor modules 1260-3-5, a device includingboth one or more sensor modules and an actuator module as the device1250-1 including sensor modules 1260-1-2 and actuator module 1270-1, anda device including one or more actuator modules (which is not shown). Inthe example of FIG. 8A, the device 1250-1 including a device controller1240-1 and a memory 1242 which can store and manage hi story datarelated to the sensor modules 1260-1-2 and the actuator module 1270-1and the devices 1250-2-3 can be mixed in the system.

Here, as the service provider A_1112-1 explained with reference to FIG.1 in Section 1.7, if a function corresponding to the particular itemgenerator 1152 or a function corresponding to the particular itemstorage 1154 is adopted in the system α_1132, the excess of common goodscan be secured and temporarily maintained therein. In the examples ofFIGS. 8A and 8B, a battery (car battery) 1220 functions as theparticular item storage 1154. However, no limitation is intendedthereby. In the system of the present embodiment, any device functioningas the particular item generator 1152 or the particular item storage1154 may be disposed in the system α_1132. For example, a power centeror a reservoir (or such storage facilities) may be disposed in abuilding or in an area to temporarily maintain the excess of commongoods in the building or the area.

In the explanation of FIGS. 8A and 8B, the battery (car battery) 1220 isexemplified, and an internal space of a vehicle is referred to as asection 1_1142-1. Specifically, various data in the vehicle (forexample, the amount of consumed gasoline, engine torque, roomtemperature, and condition of each human being in the vehicle) aredetected by the sensor module 1222, and results are sent to the systemcontroller α_1126 through the communication module 1202-2. In thesection 1_1142-1 (in the internal space of the vehicle), an inflowmonitor 1218 which measures power charged in the battery (car battery)1220 and an outflow monitor 1216 which measures power discharged (soldto the outside from the battery (car battery) 1220, and values measuredthereby are sent to the system controller α_1126 through thecommunication module 1202-2. In the system of the present embodiment,especially, an outflow controller 1212 which can accurately control thepower discharged (sold) to the outside from the battery (car battery)1220 and an inflow controller 1214 which can accurately control thepower charged in the battery (car battery) 1220. Both are connected tothe system controller α_1126 through the communication modules 1202-2and 1202-3. Thus, the system controller α_1126 can send feedback of thedischarged (sold) power measured by the outflow monitor 1216 to theoutflow controller 1212 such that the power discharged (sold) to theoutside can be accurately controlled. Similarly, the system controllerα_1126 can send feedback of the incoming (bought) power measured by theinflow monitor 1218 to the inflow controller 1214 such that the powercharged in the battery (car battery) 1220 can be accurately controlled.

As described in Section 1.7, the system controller α_1126 controls,manages, and operates the communication in its corresponding systemα_1132 (network system). As shown in FIG. 8A, the system controllerα_1126 includes a processor 1230. The processor 1230 collects data fromthe entire sensor modules 1222, and 1260-1-5 in the domain 2_1122-2, andstores the data in the memory 1232 as history data. Furthermore, theprocessor 1230 stores command data to the actuator module 1270-1 ashistory data. Furthermore, the system controller α_1126 includes a userinterface 1234 which receives direct input by a user and displays thecurrent status to the user. However, no limitation is intended thereby,and the user interface 1234 may be disposed outside the systemcontroller α_1126 and may be connected thereto through the communicationmodule 1202-3.

Especially, in the system of the present embodiment, the entire datarelated to the sensor modules 1222 and 1260-1-5 and the actuator module1270-1 within the domain 2_1122-2 are not automatically transferred to aserver n_1116-n, but system controller α_1126 (or the processor 1230therein, specifically) independently chooses necessary data and sendthem to the server n_1116-n. Thus, personal private data of a user canbe secured. Furthermore, what to be sent to the server n_1116-n may notbe the necessary data chosen by the system controller α_1126 but may bea part of data extracted and analyzed from the necessary data by systemcontroller α_1126. Thus, the server n_1116-n can collect only theessential data and the collective management process performed by theservice provider B_1116-1 can be more efficient.

Furthermore, in the system of the present embodiment, the systemcontroller α_1126 (or the processor 1230 therein, specifically) cancollect original data from the server n_1116-n through the communicationmodule 1202-3 and store the original data in the memory 1232. Theoriginal data are data which cannot be obtained from the domain2_1122-2, such as traffic jam information, local weather forecast, andcurrent price of common goods. The data stored in the memory 1232 areanalyzed by the system controller α_1126 (or the processor 1230 therein,specifically) to estimate/determine behaviors, conditions, or requestsof end users. Based on the estimation/determination, the systemcontroller α_1126 (or the processor 1230 therein, specifically) controlsthe system α_1132 (or the domain 2_1122-1) and provides suitableservices to the end users. As a service providing method, the actuatormodule 1270-1 in FIG. 8A may be remotely controlled. The systemcontroller α_1126 (or the processor 1230 therein, specifically)independently analyzes the data collected from the sensor modules 1222and 1260-1-5 and server n_1122-2 and command history to the actuatormodule 1270-1 collectively, and thus, original services including userfriendly service performed within the domain 2_1122-2 which has beendifficult before. Furthermore, such an original service in the domain2_1122-2 can be securely provided to the users even if there is acommunication shutdown with the server n_1116-n caused by a systemtrouble, and thus, the strength of the services provided to the endusers can be secured.

FIG. 9 shows a variation of the system of the present embodiment of FIG.8A. In the example of FIG. 9, a processor 1330 or a device controller1240-1 or -2 is stored in the entire devices within the domain 2_1122-2except for the smart meter 1124 and router (gateway) 1300, and directdata exchange can be performed between the system of FIG. 9 and a servern_1116-n through the router (gateway) 1300 including a battery.

Here, the processor 1330 stored in the section 1_1142-1 (a vehicle)performs the control of the vehicle including not onlycharging/discharging power in/from the battery (car battery) 1220 butalso air conditioning in the vehicle and energy efficient engineburning. The data related to these controls can be transferred to theserver n_1116-n through a router (gateway) 1300 (or directly).Furthermore, the entire communication modules 1202-1-7 are connected tothe server n_1116-n through the router (gateway) 1300. In the variationof FIG. 9, the router (gateway) 1300 does not perform any discriminationor determination and automatically transfer the entirety of the datafrom the devices 1250-1 and 1250-4, and this is a major difference fromthe function of the system controller α_1126 of FIG. 8A.

In the variation of FIG. 9, the entire devices 1250-1 and 1250-4 in thedomain 2_1122-2 include memories 1244 and 1246, respectively. Thesignals and data detected by the sensor modules 1260-1-7 at each momentare chronologically stored in the memories 1244 and 1246. Furthermore,command data arbitrarily issued from the device controllers 1240-1-2 tothe actuator modules 1270-1-3 are stored in the memories 1244 and 1246.Using the data stored in the memories 1244 and 1246, the devicecontrollers 1240-1-2 can provide original services to end users by eachof the devices 1250-1 and 1250-4. When providing the original services,the devices controllers 1240-1 and 1240-2 estimate/determine thebehavior, condition, or request of an end user and control the actuatormodules 1270-1-3 using the detection signals and history of measureddata sent from the sensor modules 1260-1-7 which change at each momentstored in the memories 1244 and 1246 (this will be detailed in Sections4.2 to 4.4).

The variation of FIG. 9 performs the management and control of theentirety of the network communication system α_1132 from the outside of(a physical space area formed by) the network communication systemα_1132 and the variation of FIG. 9 does not involve a system controllerα_1126 which is disposed inside (a physical space area formed by) thenetwork communication system α_1132 to perform the management or controlof the network communication system α_1132. From such a standpoint, themanagement and operation of the data communication within an in-systemnetwork line 1782 formed by the devices 1250-1 and 1250-4 in the systemα_1132 through the battery-equipped router (gateway) 1300 may beperformed by a system controller β_1128 which is physically remote fromthe system α_1132 instead of the server n_1116-n.

As a further variation, a mixture of the system of FIG. 2 or FIG. 8A/Band the system of FIG. 9 may be used. In that case, to relay the insideand the outside of the system α_1132, such a system may include both thesystem controller α_1126 and the battery-equipped router (gateway) 1300.Furthermore, the management, operation, and control of the entirety ofthe network communication system α_1132 may be performed by the systemcontrollers α_1126 and β_1128 in cooperation, or may be performed by thesystem controller α_1126 alone in a normal state. Data exchange betweenthe system controllers α_1126 and β_1128 is performed frequently suchthat the data collected from the sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m and thedata necessary for the service providing are entirely shared between thesystem controllers α_1126 and β_1128. In that case, relative filesstored in the memory 1232 of the system controller α_1126 arearbitrarily copied in the memory 1248 of the system controller β_1128through a mirroring process. Here, the data collected from the sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m and the data necessary for the service providinginclude, for example, an address table shown in FIG. 23, anestimation/determination comparison table shown in FIG. 27, and achronological data tracing table shown FIG. 28 will be described later.Since the data are arbitrarily shared between the system controllersα_1126 and β_1128, even if the main controller of themanagement/operation is switched therebetween (or is performed incooperation), processes in the system α_1132 can be continued without amix-up. Or, the system controller α_1126 and the server n_1116-n maycooperate to perform the management, operation, and control of thenetwork communication system α_1132. In that case, as mentioned above,the data collection from the sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-n and the datanecessary for the service providing may be entirely shared between thesystem controller α_1126 and the server n_1116-n (by mirroring or thelike). Since the management, operation, and control of the networkcommunication system α_1132 are performed by a plurality of devices indifferent positions, processes such as an emergency response can beperformed with flexibility, and the security and reliability of thenetwork communication system α_1132 can be improved. For example, evenif the system controller α_1126 is accidentally shut downer even if thedata stored in the memory 1232 are entirely destroyed by a head crash orthe like, the controller is automatically switched to the systemcontroller β_1128 or to the server n_1116-n as an emergency response.Thus, the processes of the system α_1132 are securely continued withoutcausing any stress to a user. Not only that, since a user can remotelyoperate the system controller β_1128 to perform data collection from thenetwork communication system α_1132 or the control of the networkcommunication system α_1132, it is more user efficient. Furthermore, inthat case, combination modules including the devices 1250-1 and 1250-4with the device controller 1240 and the memory 1242, device 1250-2 and1250-3 without a device controller 1240 or a memory 1242, sensorcombination module 1460, and actuator combination module 1470 may bemixed in the system α_1132.

The mixture will be further explained. As shown in FIG. 5, in manycases, a combination module 1295 (or unit 1290) disposed inside thenetwork system α_1132 includes a battery charger module (battery) 1554.Thus, even if a power failure occurs in the system α_1132, thecombination module 1295 (or unit 1290) basically continues its operationwithout being affected. Furthermore, in the system of FIG. 9, the router(gateway) 1300 which performs relay of the data communication inside andoutside the system α_1132 includes a battery, and thus, there is noeffect of the power failure in the network system α_1132. Thus, with abackup for the management/control of the network system α_1132, even ifthere is an accident such as a power failure or a breakdown, the datacommunication within the system α_1132 can be continued withoutinterruption caused by such an accident.

As stated in Section 1.1 that a system controller α_1126 performs themanagement, control, operation, and data collection of the datacommunication within the network system α_1132, the management, control,operation, and data collection of the data communication within thenetwork system α_1132 are normally performed by the system controllerα_1126. However, if there is an accident such as a power failure or abreakdown, the system controller β_1128 temporarily performs themanagement, control, operation, data collection of the datacommunication within the network system α_1132 as a substitute. Here, inthe ordinary operation, a system controller β_1128 may be handled as asingle unit 1290 in the network system α_1132.

As explained in Section 1.1 with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the systemcontroller α_1126 which performs the management, control, operation, anddata collection of the data communication in the network system α_1132performs in-system data communication with each unit 1290 in the networksystem α_1132 and performs out-system data communication with a servern_1116-n (cloud or cloud server) outside the network system α_1132. Ifthe system controller β_1128 temporarily substitutes the above functionsfor the system controller α_1126 to respond to an accident such as apower failure or a breakdown, the data communication between each unit1290 and the server n_1116-n should be performed in the same datacommunication format used before the substitution. This is because thesame data communication format allows a smooth and seamless substitutionprocess.

As explained in Section 2.1 with reference to FIG. 10A, C-format can beused in the data communication of a communication middleware layer APL02between the system controller α_1126 and the combination module 1295. Onthe other hand, A-format, E-format, or W-format can be used in the datacommunication of a communication middleware layer APL06 between thesystem controller α_1126 and the server n_1116-n (cloud or cloudserver). If the system controller β_1128 substitutes the systemcontroller α_1126, the same data communication format should be used.That is, C-format is used in the data communication of the communicationmiddleware layer APL02 between the system controller β_1128 and thecombination module 1295, and A-format, E-format, or W-format is used inthe data communication between the system controller β_1128 and theserver n_1116-n (cloud or cloud server).

When the contents of Section 2.1 explained with reference to FIGS. 10Aand 17A and the above system are combined, a client system is achieved.A client system (system α_1132) is an electronic device systemconnectable to external cloud (server n_1116-1 of FIG. 1) (through asystem controller α_1126 of FIG. 10A, router (gateway) 1300, or systemcontroller β_1128), and including a first system controllers α_1126which acquires and manages data from a unit 1290 (or combination module1295) with a function to send the data independently acquired orcreated, and a second system controller β_1128 which acquires andmanages the data from the unit 1290 (or combination module 1295),wherein the system controller α_1126 divides a plurality of units 1290(or combination modules 1295) into sections 1142 (as in FIG. 1) andretains data related to sections to which each unit attributes (addresstable of FIG. 23 or chronological data tracing table of FIG. 28explained in Section 4.3), and a first data format (C-format of FIG.17A) is used for the communication between the second system controllerβ_1128 and the units 1290 (or combination modules 1295) and a seconddata format (A/E/W—format of FIG. 17B) is used for the communicationbetween the second system controller β_1128 and the cloud (servern_1116-n of FIG. 1).

As mentioned above, the system controller β_1128 may be handled as aunit 1290 in the network system α_1132 which performs the management,control, operation, and data collection of the system controller α_1126in a normal state. Furthermore, in the system of the present embodiment,data communication between different units 1290 in the same networksystem through the network system α_1132. As mentioned above, when thedata communication is performed between the system controller α_1126 andunit 1290, C-format is used for the data communication of thecommunication middleware layer APL02. Thus, when data communication isperformed between the system controllers α_1126 and β_1128, C-formatshould be used in the data communication of the communication middlewarelayer APL02 to facilitate the management, control, operation, and datacollection related to the system controller α_1126.

On the other hand, when data communication is performed between thesystem controller β_1128 and the server n_1116-n (cloud or cloudserver), A-format, E-format, or W-format should be used in the datacommunication of the communication middleware layer APL06. Thereby, evenif the system controllers α_1126 becomes unusable by a power failure ora breakdown, the substitution of the management, control, operation, anddata collection of the network system α_1132 can be performed smoothlyand seamlessly.

In other words, the client system (system α_1132) can be connected toexternal cloud (server n_1116-1 of FIG. 1) (through a system controllerα_1126 of FIG. 10A, router (gateway) 1300, or system controller β_1128),and the client system (system α_1132) includes a first systemcontrollers α_1126 which acquires and manages data from a unit 1290 (orcombination module 1295) with a function to send the data independentlyacquired or created, and a second system controller β_1128 whichacquires and manages the data from the unit 1290 (or combination module1295), wherein the system controller α_1126 divides a plurality of units1290 (or combination modules 1295) into sections 1142 (as in FIG. 1) andretains data related to sections to which each unit attributes (addresstable of FIG. 23 or chronological data tracing table of FIG. 28explained in Section 4.3), and a first data format (C-format or thelike) is used for the communication between the second system controllerβ_1128 and the units 1290 (or combination modules 1295) and a seconddata format (A/E/W—format of FIG. 17B) is used for the communicationbetween the second system controller β_1128 and the cloud (servern_1116-n of FIG. 1).

Here, the above description has been made relatively focusing on thecooperation and substitution between the system controllers α_1126 andβ_1128. However, no limitation is intended thereby. For example, thesystem of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 which does not include a systemcontroller α_1126 in the first place can be described as follows. Theclient system (system α_1132) is an electronic device system connectableto external cloud (server n_1116-1 of FIG. 1) (through a systemcontroller α_1126 of FIG. 10A, router (gateway) 1300, or systemcontroller β_1128), and including a unit 1290 (or combination module1295) with a function to send the data independently acquired orcreated, a system controller β_1128 which acquires and manages the datafrom the unit 1290 (device 1250 of FIG. 9), and a gateway 1300 whichperforms the communication between the unit 1290 (device 1250 of FIG. 9)and the system controller β_1128, wherein the system controller β_1128divides a plurality of units 1290 (devices 1250 of FIG. 9) into sections1_1142-1 and 2_1142-2 and retains data related to the sections 1_1142-1and 2_1142-2 to which each unit attributes (address table of FIG. 23 orchronological data tracing table of FIG. 28 explained in Section 4.3),and a first data format (C-format or the like) is used for thecommunication between the second system controller β_1128 and the units1290 (devices 1250 of FIG. 9) and a second data format (A/E/W—format ofFIG. 17B) is used for the communication between the second systemcontroller β_1128 and the cloud (server n_1116-n of FIG. 1).

Section 1.9 Example of Use of Combination Modules in Local NetworkSystem

In the examples shown in FIGS. 8A and 9, the system controller α_1126 ofFIG. 8A and the server n_1116-n of FIG. 9 basically communicates withdevices 1250-1-4. Conventionally, since basic functions of a device havebeen preliminarily determined, contents of network communication data(communication protocols in communication middleware layers APL orexchangeable data 1810 which will be explained in Chapter 2) have beenpreliminarily standardized to suit for such basic functions. However, astime changes, devices have been evolved/developed diversely out dailybasis, and the standardization to suit for functions of such rapidlyevolving devices has become difficult to achieve. For example, a basicfunction of televisions is receiving broadcast waves and displayingcontents to a user. However, Japanese high-end televisions include notonly the above basic function but also a data communication functionusing a network line and a recording function. Furthermore, althoughthis is not so popular, naked-eye three dimensional televisions includea function to detect positional data of a viewer. In future, aluminosity sensor may possibly be included in televisions (to optimizethe brightness of the display screen). In consideration of suchdiversity and expansion of devices, the communication data format(exchangeable data 1810) and communication protocol of the devices1250-1-4 may be made with versatility; however in such a case, devices1250-1-4 including high-performance device controllers 1240-1-2 used fordecoding the communication data would become expensive. That is, thedevice 1250-2 or device 1250-3 in FIG. 8A has difficulty in decodingsuch versatile complicated communication data, and a device controller1240 is required for decoding the data and performing various processesin the device corresponding to a result of decoding.

To deal with the above, the example of FIG. 8B allows sensor combinationmodules 1460-1-5 and actuator combination modules 1470-1-2 whichattribute combination modules 1295 and are disposed inside devices1450-1-4 or independently outside the devices.

Here, for the sake of simpler explanation, the devices 1450-1-4 of FIG.8B include the sensor combination modules 1460-1-4 and actuatorcombination modules 1470-1-2 which attribute combination modules 1295.However, no limitation is intended thereby, and an example of FIG. 3 (c)or the like may be adopted. That is, the combination module 1295 (sensorcombination module 1460 or actuator combination module 1470) may beadditionally stored in devices 1250-1-4 as in FIGS. 8A and 9. In thatcase, the devices 1250-1-4 shown in FIGS. 8A and 9 perform the datacommunication related to a basic function of a device (for example, afunction of receiving broadcast waves and displaying contents to auser). Combination modules 1295, 1460, and 1470 newly added directlyperform the data communication related to newly added functions causedby technological development and diversity. The system controller α_1126collectively performs the management/grasp and control the wholefunctions of the highly diverse/evolving devices 1250. Thereby, theexpansion of newly added functions in commercially-available deviceexpansion of incorporated sensors/drive types) can be easily performed.Furthermore, since the functions of the combination modules 1295, 1460,and 1470 are very limited and simplified, communication data exchangedbetween the combination modules 1295,1460, and 1470 and external devicescan be greatly reduced. With greatly reduced communication dataexchanged with external devices, high-performance device controllers1240-1-2 used for decoding/controlling complex communication data arenot required and the combination modules 1295, 1460, and 1470 can beproduced cost effectively and miniaturized.

In the example of FIG. 8B, the devices 1450-1 and 1450-2 are disposed insection 2_1142-2 and the devices 1450-3-4 are disposed in sectionm_11142-m. However, this does not mean that positions of the devices1450-1-4 are fixed, and an end user can freely choose any of the devices1450-1-4 and dispose it in a different section.

Furthermore, in the system of the example of FIG. 8b , sensor module anda actuator module are independently integrated with a communicationmodule in the smart meter 1124 and section 1_1142-1 (corresponding tothe entirety of a vehicle, for example). As a result, the smart meter1124 of FIG. 8B includes an outflow monitoring combination module 1406and an inflow monitoring combination module 1408 which are independentlyconnected to the system controller α_1126 and the server n_1116-n.Similarly, the section 1_1142-1 includes an outflow monitoringcombination module 1416, inflow monitoring combination module 1418,outflow controller combination module 1412, and inflow controllercombination module 1414, and they are independently connected to thesystem controller α_1126 (the processor 1230 therein) through thecommunication module 1202-3. Here, the outflow monitoring combinationmodule 1406, inflow monitoring combination module 1408, outflowmonitoring combination module 1416, and inflow monitoring combinationmodule 1418 correspond to the sensor combination module 1460.Furthermore, the outflow controller combination module 1412 and theinflow controller combination module 1414 correspond to the actuatorcombination module 1470. In that case, the entire detection signals andmeasured data obtained in the sensor combination modules 1460-1-5,outflow monitoring combination modules 1406 and 1416, and inflowmonitoring combination modules 1408 and 1418 in the system α_1132 aregathered and collected (and stored in the memory 1232) by the systemcontroller α_1126. Furthermore, the system controller α_1126collectively controls (and commands) the actuator combination modules1470-1-2, outflow controller combination module 1412, and inflowcontroller combination module 1414 in the system α_1132. As a result,the system controller α_1126 singly manages and controls the devices1450-1-5 in the system α_1132 efficiently and provides services of highquality to end users.

Furthermore, if the example of the system of FIG. 8B is adopted thedevices 1450-1-5 can be produced highly cost effectively. That is, bymass-producing versatile and standardized combination modules 1460 and1470, the production cost thereof can be greatly reduced. Since there isno need of a novel interface connecting the combination modules 1295,1460, and 1470, they can be incorporated into the devices 1450-1-5easily and cheaply by a simple physical arrangement. If the actuatorcombination modules 1470-1-2 can be supplied cost effectively, thenumber of actuator combination modules 1470-1-2 incorporated in thedevices 1450-1-5 can be increased that that of the example of FIG. 8B.Furthermore, the incorporation of the combination modules 1295, 1460,and 1470 into the devices 1450-1-5 is not necessarily performed withscrews, and it may be performed with a double-sided tape or an adhesivetape by end users. That is, in the example of FIG. 8B, the devices1450-1 and 1450-3 include the sensor combination modules 1460-4 and1460-5, respectively, and the device 1450-2 includes the sensorcombination modules 1460-2-3. However, the above method allows an enduser to reattach any particular one of the sensor combination modules1460-2-5 to a different device 1450.

In the system of the example of FIG. 8, the sensor combination module1460-5 is not disposed in any of the devices 1450 but is disposed aloneat an arbitrary location within a particular section 1142 (or domain1122). Such a disposition of a combination module 1460-5 (or combinationmodule 1295, 1460, or 1470) alone may be performed by fixing it on awall, roof, or floor by a user with a fixation member such as a tape,adhesive agent, or thumbtack, or by mixing it in a paint and applyingthe mixture on a wall, roof, or floor by a user. Furthermore, althoughthis is not shown, an actuator combination module 1470 (as a remotecontroller which controls, for example, an air conditioner, television,or illumination) may be disposed alone at an arbitrary location within aparticular section 1142 (or domain 1122).

As another example of the system of the present embodiment, thecombination modules 1295, 1460, and 1470 may be arranged to be mobilewith a user to measure position changes of the combination modules 1295,1460, and 1470 in order to collect a behavioral history the user.Furthermore, although this is not shown, the actuator combination module1470 may be arranged to be mobile with a user to control a conditionchange (for example, air condition or brightness by controlling an airconditioner, television, or illumination) from a location of the userwithin a particular section 1142 (or domain 1122). Such modules 1295,1460, 1470, or the like can be mobile with a user by temporarily fixingor adhering the module to user's belongings such as glasses, tiepin,shoes, or wallet with a tape or an adhesive agent, or by firmly fixingthe module thereto with a screw or the like, or by incorporating themodule in such belongings.

Chapter 2 Outline of Hierarchy of Communication Data and Data Structure

Throughout Chapter 1, the whole structure of the system of the presentembodiment has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. In Chapter2, significances and details of the structure (contents of communicationprotocol) of the communication data exchanged within the system of thepresent embodiment described in Chapter 1 will be explained.

Section 2.1 Hierarchy of Network Communication Related Function ofPresent Embodiment

In the network communication of the present embodiment, there is ahierarchy levels of which correspond to different functions, as shown inFIGS. 10A, 10B, and 16 to 17B. In this hierarchy, physical communicationmedia required for the network communication are defined by the lowestphysical layers PHY02 and PHY06 corresponding to physical functionsshown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 16 to 17B. If a physical communicationmedium is Ethernet connected by a cable or a wire, a cable and aconnector of shape and characteristics defined by the standard of thephysical layer PHY06 are used. On the other hand, a communication mediumis a wireless scheme, a frequency, channel, modulation scheme, basiccommunication frame structure defined by the standard of the physicallayers PHY02 and PHY06 are used.

Media access layers MAC02 and MAC06 correspond to access functions tocommunication media and they are positioned above the physical layersPHY02 and PHY06. The media access layers MAC02 and MAC06 define datarequired for proper data transference to a node connected to the network(device 1250 of FIG. 8A or combination modules 1460 and 1470 of FIG.8B). Furthermore, at the highest layer, are expansion application layerEXL06 and communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06 define variousservices using the network communication (various service providingfunctions using the communication).

The hierarchy including levels corresponding to the functions allows asuitable selection/combination of format for each level determined basedon the characteristics and performances of the communicationsender/receiver. As a result, the whole system (combination modules 1460and 1470 of FIG. 8B) can be achieved at a low cost, and thecommunication data (exchanged with the devices 1250 of FIG. 8A) can beachieved with high performance. This advantage will be explained in thefollowing. First, in the physical layer PHY02 and the media access layerMAC02, Z-format (which will be described in Section 2.3) can be usedsince it is applicable to close range wireless communication which issuitable for the power efficiency required for the combination modules1460 and 1470. Furthermore, C-format (which will be described in Section2.5) can be used for the communication middleware layer APL02 since ithas simplified communication data which are suitable for the low costrequired for the combination modules 1460 and 1470. On the other hand,A-format (which will be described in Section 2.7), E-format (which willbe described in Section 2.6), or W-format can be used for thecommunication middleware layer APL06 since they can handle various dataitems at the same time in the communication and is thus suitable for thehigh performance communication required to communicate with a servern_1116-n and a device 1250-1, and therein, the communication data of theexpansion application layer EXL06 may be used.

As an intermediate layer of the above hierarchy (layer above the mediaaccess layers MAC02 and MAC06 and below the communication middlewarelayers APL02 and APL06), an internet protocol version 6 layer IPv6 whichcorresponds to an internet protocol function is provided, and the datadefined thereby can be shared. Sharing of the data means thatcommunication data (which will be described in Section 2.4) defined bythe internet protocol version 6 layer IPv6 can be shared by the entirenodes connected to the network within the system of the examples ofFIGS. 1 to 8B (communication targets corresponding to senders andreceives in the network communication and are specifically, the devices1250, server n_1116-n, wholesale firm A_1102 of FIG. 8A or the complexmodules 1460 and 1470 of FIG. 8B) during the communication. The abovesituation will be interpreted as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 10A,the communication data used in (sent by) an out-system network line 1788and an in-system network line 1782 (which will be described later) mayinclude data defined in common by a standard corresponding to theinternet protocol version 6 layer IPv6. Here, the internet protocolversion 6 layer IPv6 defines the communication protocol on the internetand performs address management and communication route management onthe internet. Thus, the standard defined by the internet protocolversion 6 layer IPv6 can set an original internet protocol (IP) addressto every node (communication target) regardless of different types ofnodes such as the wholesale firm A_1102, server n_1116-n, systemcontroller the systems α_1126, device 1250-1, and combination modules1460 and 1470. During communication between different systems within thedomain 2_1122-2 (during communication between the systems α_1132 andβ_1134 in FIG. 1), the management of the communication sender/receivercan be greatly simplified by using the IP addresses (which will bedescribed in Section 2.8). As a result, the following carte achieved,for example. Even if a user goes on a business trip to a foreign country(system β_1134 of FIG. 1), data collection by the sensor combinationmodule 1460 in the home (systems α_1132 of FIG. 1) or operation of theactuator combination module 1470 can be controlled by a mobile device(system controller β_1134) such as a smartphone or a tablet by the user,and this is a great improvement of convenience of the user. Furthermore,at that time, the trip destination (system β_1134) and the home (systemα_1132) are protected by the domain 2_1122-2 which does not allow anintruder, and this is a firm security of the system.

Now, based on the system model shown in FIG. 8B, the hierarchy(architecture) levels of which correspond to the functions related tothe network communication will be explained with reference to FIG. 10A.Since the examples of FIGS. 10A and 10B are prepared based on the systemmodel of FIG. 8B, the combination modules 1460 and 1470 are disposed inthe system as network nodes at the right end. Instead of the combinationmodules 1460 and 1470, communication modules 1202-5-6 (and sensormodules 1260-3-5) within devices 1250-2-3 which do not involve a devicecontroller 1240-1 shown in FIG. 8A may be used as network nodes at theright end of the in-system network line 782.

In the left of FIG. 10A, the hierarchy (architecture) levels of whichcorrespond to the functions related to the communication between theserver n_1116-n and the system controller α_1126 is shown. Furthermore,in the right of FIG. 10A, the hierarchy (architecture) levels of whichcorrespond to the functions related to the communication between thesystem controller α_1126 and each of the combination modules 1460 and1470 is shown.

Here, in the system of FIG. 1, the server n_1116-n can be disposedphysically outside the area of the system α_1132 in which the systemcontroller α_1126 is disposed. Thus, as shown in the left of FIG. 10A,the communication between the server n_1116-n and the system controllerα_1126 uses the out-system network line 1788. The out-system networkline 1788 may be a cabled or wired or wireless internet line. However,no limitation is intended thereby, and a network line used in arelatively tight area such as LAN can be used, for example.

As a physical communication medium, a fiber-optic cable may be used, forexample. The physical communication medium is not limited thereto, andit may be any signal transference means such as an electric cord,telephone line, or power line. Furthermore, the signals transferred maybe either analogue or digital. The communication standard in thephysical layer PHY06 may differ depending not only on physical or signalcharacteristics of the communication medium but also on communicationservice provider or country in charge of the communication. Therefore,in the system of the present embodiment, communication standards passingthrough a physical line in the physical layer PHY06 will be referred toas L-format. On the other hand, if wireless communication is used as theout-system network line 1788 in the physical layer PHY06, communicationstandards of long range wireless communication scheme such as 2G or 3Gor WiMAX may be used. Or, communication standards of middle rangewireless communication scheme may be used in the system of the presentembodiment. Wireless communication standards including such long rangewireless communication schemes and middle range wireless communicationschemes are here referred to as G-format.

Comparing to the above, the combination modules 1460 and 1470 of FIG. 8Bare disposed in common in the system α_1132 which is managed by thesystem controller α_1126. A range of physical formation of the systemα_1132 is limited to a relatively small area. Thus, the datacommunication between the system controller α_1126 and the combinationmodules 1460 and 1470 is performed using the in-system network line 1782of FIG. 10A. Here, to distinguish from G-format and L-format used in theout-system network line 1788, the communication standards of the datacommunicated in the in-system network line 1782 used in the physicallayer PHY02 will be referred to as Z-format. In the system of thepresent embodiment, the in-system network line 1782 may be achieved aseither wireless or wired (or wireless/wired switchable).

On the other hand, the standard used in the media access layer MAC02/06is, in many cases, discussed and proposed by a standard developingcommittee together with the physical layer PHY02/06. Thus, to conform tothat of the physical layer PHY06, L-format or G-format can be used inthe media access layer MAC06 which is transferred on the out-systemnetwork line 1788 between the server n_1116-n and the system controllerα_1126. Similarly, Z-format can be used in the media access layer MAC02which is transferred on the in-system network line 1782 between thesystem controller α_1126 and the combination modules 1460 and 1470.However, no limitation is intended thereby. For example, Z-format may beused in the physical layer PHY02 and L-format or G-format may be used inthe media access layer MAC02. Or, L-format or G-format may be used inthe physical layer PHY06 and Z-format may be used in the media accesslayer MAC06.

Note that data processing (mainly communication control processing)related to each function of the physical layer PHY06 to the internetprotocol version 6 layer IPv6 are performed by the server n_1116-n andthe communication modules 1768 and 1202-3 in the system controllerα_1126. Note that the communication module 1660 in the combinationmodule 1460 or 1470 explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 as to itsinternal structure may be divided by its functions into a communicationcontroller 1700 and an interface 1710. The communication controller 1700performs data processing (mainly communication control processing)related to each function of the physical layer PHY06 to the internetprotocol version 6 layer IPv6.

The data related to each function of the physical layer PHY06 to theinternet protocol version 6 layer IPv6 are mainly related to thecommunication control and are not so firmly related to, for example, thefunction, operation, or performance of the device 1450. With respect tothis point, the communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06 andexpansion application layer EXL06 of FIG. 10A are related to variousservice providing functions using the network communication. Thecommunication data processing related to the functions of thecommunication middleware layer APL06 and expansion application layerEXL06 (mainly processing related to service providing to users) areperformed by processors 1738 and 1230 in the server n_1116-n and thesystem controller α_1126. On the other hand, the data related to thefunctions of the communication middleware layer APL02 communicatedthrough the in-system network line 1782 are processed in the interface1710 in the communication module 1660 in the combination modules 1460and 1470. That is, in the system of the present embodiment, the entirecommunication data communicated through the in-system network line 1782can be processed in the communication module 1660 without providing anexpensive processor with the combination modules 1460 and 1470. Sincethere is no need of disposing any expensive processor therein, thecombination modules 1460 and 1470 can be presented cost effectively.

In the system of the present embodiment, amongst the data communicatedthrough the out-system network line 1788, original data which areexclusively usable on particular application software installed in boththe server n_1116-n and the system controller α_1126 can be stored inthe expansion application layer EXL06 to be used in the communication.Thereby, such particular application software can be distinguished fromother application software installed in both the server n_1116-n and thesystem controller α_1126. This will cause eager development ofapplication software in software companies based on the marketcompetition principle, and the software-related technique thus will beadvanced. Furthermore, this will be convenient for users. Furthermore,since the original data stored in the expansion application layer EXL06are used, the quality of the services provided with users by theapplication software can be improved. Note that the performance of thedevices 1250-1-2 shown in FIGS. 8A and 9 and their additional extendedfunctions are improved/developed in future, the standards of A-format,E-format, and W-format used in the communication middleware layer APL06must be updated to correspond to such improvement/development. However,a very complicated procedure is required to update such standards of theabove formats and performing the update of standards to keep up withsuch improvement of performance and extension of additional functions ofthe devices 1250-1-2 is very difficult. With respect to this point,application software venders can easily respond to the improvement ofperformance and extension of additional functions of the devices1250-1-2 by using the expansion application layer EXL06 without waitingfor the update of standards. Since particular software vender can freelyset data stored in the expansion application layer EXL06 to be used forthe communication, the description format of the communication data isnot necessarily defined preliminarily as a world standard.

On the other hand, communication data related to the service providingfunction of the communication middleware layer APL02/APL06 may be basedon defined formats such as A-format, E-format, W-format, and C-format.If the communication data related to the service providing function ofthe communication middleware layer APL02/APL06 conform particularstandard format, compatibility between the server 1116 and the systemcontrollers 1126/1128 and between the combination modules 1460 and 1470can be easily achieved.

As shown in FIG. 25, both the server n_1116-n and the system controllerα_1126 include a mass storage memory 1232 (and database 1118-n) andhigh-speed and powerful processors 1738/1230. Thus, various and largequantity of communication data corresponding to various services can beset in the communication middleware layer APL06 exchanged between theserver n_1116-n and the system controller α_1126. As compared thereto,the combination modules 1460 and 1470 have difficulty in including sucha processor for multiple service providing. Therefore, in the system ofthe present embodiment, format (C-format or the like) may be used in thecommunication middleware layer APL02, which is different from a format(A-format, E-format, or W-format) used in the communication middlewarelayer APL06 in the data communication with the combination modules 1460and 1470. Especially, by relatively simplifying C-format (described inSection 2.5) used in the communication middleware layer APL02, the loadof the processing and costs thereof in the combination modules 1460 and1470 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the processing can be performedrelatively speedy and shortly, the power used by the battery chargermodule (battery) 1554 can be reduced. However, no limitation is intendedthereby and A-format, E-format, or W-format may be used in the datacommunication with the combination modules 1460 an 1470.

Here, switching (conversion) of data used in the communicationmiddleware layer APL02 contained in the communication data usingthin-system network line 1782 and data used in the communicationmiddleware layer APL06 contained in the communication data using theout-system network line 1788 is performed in the system controllerα_1126. Note that, in the communication middleware layers APL02 andAPL06 of the system of the present embodiment, the communication dataused in the in-system network line 1782 and the communication data usedin the out-system network line 1788 do not necessarily make a perfectmatch and may partly differ. The method of this process will beexplained here. As already explained in Sections 1.1 and 1.7 and shownin FIG. 8B, the management and operation of the network communication inthe network system α_1132 are performed by the system controller α_1126.Then, the data detected successively and in real time by the entiresensor combination modules 1460 through the in-system network line 1782and the data of the entire conditions controlled (set) by the actuatorcombination modules 1470 are arbitrarily stored in the memory 1232 inthe system controller α_1126 as management data 1744. The managementdata 1744 may be stored as a management table in a table format.Furthermore, the structures of FIGS. 8A and 8B are mixed, the data ofthe entire devices 1250 (detected data and current status data, forexample) are stored as a part of the management data 1744 in the systemcontroller α_1126. Then, the system controller α_1126 excerpts onlyparticular data with user privacy data secured from the management data1744 and sends the data to the server n_1116-n through the out-systemnetwork line 1788. The data sent to the server n_1116-n are stored inthe database 1118-n as the management data 1748 (which may be convertedin a table format) which is managed by the server n_1116. Since thesystem controller α_1126 performs the conversion (switching) of thecommunication data used in the communication middleware layers APL02 andAPL06 as above, the data of users can be secured, and since minimumrequired data can be selected in advance and received, the process ofthe server n_1116-n can be simplified as well.

The client system as a combination of the above-explained contents andthe outline of the system of the present embodiments explained inSection 1.1 will produce the following feature. A client system (systemα_1132) is an electronic device system connectable to external cloud(server n_1116-1 of FIG. 1), and including a system controller α_1126which manages data and units (units 1_1290-1-7_1290-7 in FIG. 2)configured to acquirer prepare data to be provided with the systemcontroller α_1126, wherein the system controller α_1126 divides theunits into sections 1142 (sections 1_1142-1-m_1142-m in FIG. 1) asmanagement targets and retains data related to sections to which eachunit attributes, and communication between the system controller and theunits (including combination modules 1295, 1460, and 1470) is performedusing a first data format (C-format or Z-format of FIG. 10A) andcommunication between the system controller α_1126 and the cloud (servern_1116-n) is performed using a second data format (A/E/W—format or L/Gformat). Note that the first data format and the second data format aredifferent data formats.

Then, as described in Section 2.2, the first data format includes aheader (corresponding to a physical layer header PHYHD in FIG. 11),first data (data from a MAC layer header MACHD to a TCP header TCPHD inFIG. 11), and second data (communication middleware data APLDT).

Furthermore, when communication processing of the communication datawith the above characteristics is performed through the systemcontroller α_1126, it proceeds as follows. That is, the systemcontroller α_1126 converts the communication data obtained from theunits (combination modules 1295, 1460, and 1470 included therein) intothe second data format (A/E/W—format or L/G format in FIG. 10A) andsends the converted data to the cloud (server n_1116-n), and the systemcontroller α_1126 converts data from the cloud (server n_1116-n) intothe first data format (C-format or Z-format) and sends the data in thefirst data format to the units (combination modules 1295, 1460, and1470).

The units include a function to transfer data to the system controller(this function is performed by the communication module 1660 in FIG.4A), a function to detect external environment data (including, forexample, a temperature and a luminosity) as the data (this function isperformed by the sensor module 1260 in FIG. 4B), and a state changingfunction to change the state of the unit which is a basis of thetransferred data (this functions performed by the actuator module 1670in FIG. 4C). Thus, the units acquire or prepare the data in the firstdata format as a part of the above data transfer function.

Note that, for the sake of simpler explanation, the communication module1660, sensor module 1260, and actuator module 1670 are depictedseparately in the examples of FIGS. 4A to 4C. However, no limitation isintended thereby, and they may be shared or partly functionallyoverlapped. In that case, the detection function, the state changingfunction, and the data transfer function are merged in the units.

Furthermore, if the structure of FIG. 7A is adopted in the communicationmodule 1660, the functions of the communication module 1660 may beachieved by a combination of functional circuits without using theprocessor 1960 which has been explained with reference to FIG. 7A. Inthat case, a central processing unit (CPU) which processes the data isomitted in the units.

Now, characteristics of communication data used (transmitted) betweenthe in-system network line 1782 and the out-system network line 1788 inthe communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06 will be comparedwith reference to FIG. 10B. Communication data in accordance withA-format or E-format may be used in the communication between the systemcontroller α_1126 and the server n_1116-n through the out-system networkline 1788. Note that, in the system of the present embodiment, A-formatincludes any formats described in text formats in a broad sense as thecommunication data related to the communication middleware layer APL. Onthe other hand, as described in Section 2.6, E-format includes anyformats which store a configuration code in a particular area which ispreliminarily defined in an area of the communication middleware dataAPLDT (cf. Section 2.2). Especially, A-format and E-format have acharacteristic of communicating (sending) data including plurality ofitems at once. Note that, the out-system network line 1788 may becomebusy if it is used by other users. Thus, if a scheme in which datatransference is repeated very frequently between the system controllerα_1126 and the server n_1116-n, the communication therebetween will beslowed when the network line is extremely busy. In contrast, if theformat which can communicate data including plurality of items at onceis used as in the present embodiment, the frequency ogle datatransference between the system controller α_1126 and the servern_1116-n can be reduced and such a risk of slow communication can bereduced. However, the system of the present embodiment is not limited tothe above formats, and the communication between the system controllerα_1126 and the server n_1116-n may be performed with communication datain accordance with C-format or W-format.

In A-format and E-format, a plurality of template tables preliminarilydetermined to correspond to types of exchangeable data 1810 exchangedbetween the system controller α_1126 and the server n_1116-n. Dataindicative of what type of table preliminarily determined as a templateshould be adopted are included in the exchangeable data 1810 asexchangeable data type identification data 1840. The exchangeable data(table) 1810 are shared between the system controller α_1126 and theserver n_1116-n, and thus, data processing therebetween can beefficient. That is, application software including a process routine ofthe exchangeable data (table) 1810 is installed in both the systemcontroller α_1126 and the server n_1116-n, and thus, advanced servicecan be provided with users.

On the other hand, data indicative of a use purpose of the exchangeabledata (table) 1810 to be notified to a receiver are included in theexchangeable data (table) 1810 as the network access control data 1830.For example, the network access control data 1830 in E-format includecodes corresponding to a write request, read request, notificationrequest, write and read request, write response, notification, readresponse, notification response, write and read response, and the like,which are directed to the receiver. Furthermore, the network accesscontrol data 1830 in A-format include WRITEONLY (state configurationinstruction to a receiver or notification of a sender state to areceiver), READONLY (a request of a reply to a current state of areceiver), READWRITE, and the like which are describable in theexchangeable data (table) 1810 in an extensible markup language (XML)format.

Although this is not depicted in FIG. 10B, as another data communicationscheme through the out-system network line 1788, World Wide Web may beused. This scheme corresponds to W-format in FIG. 10A, and either thesystem controller α_1126 or the server n_1116-n functions as a Webserver. In that case, a sender (either the system controller α_1126 orthe server n_1116-n) of the communication data designates a receiver(whichever is not the sender between the system controller α_1126 andthe server n_1116-n) based on a uniform resource location (URL), andautomatically writes the communication data in a write column which isdesignated by a form format in a web site. After the data communicationcompletes, the receiver stores reception data (or a result of theprocess) in the management data 1744 or 1748 in accordance with aprogram preliminarily determined by PHP (a recursive abbreviation ofhypertext preprocessor) or Java applet. Here, by providing a pluralityof write columns designated by the form format in one web site, data ofdifferent contents can be transferred (sent) at once, and the aboveadvantages can be achieved in W-format. In the system of the presentapplication, W-format includes any formats in which a sender writes datain a write column preliminarily designated by a receiver to perform datacommunication. W-format is not limited thereto, and any formats in whicha tag unique to HTML or HTML5 is described may be classified asW-format.

As described above, the data communication between the system controllerα_1126 and the server n_1116-n through the out-system network line 1788is manipulated to reduce the number of data exchanges therebetween. Onthe other hand, the data communication through the in-system networkline 1782 is managed and operated by the system controller α_1126, andthere is not such a risk that the communication is slowed by busynetwork line. The communication data in the communication middlewarelayer APL02 with respect to the combination modules 1460 and 1470 aresimplified to meet the cost-effective and miniaturization demands of thecombination modules 1460 and 1470. Specifically, data communication inaccordance with one of cases 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 10B can be performed.In easel, the system controller α_1126 sends an instruction (commandissuance) 1852 for a configuration status change (status control) of anactuator combination module and receives a response indicating a resultof execution of the instruction 1852 from the actuator combinationmodule. In case 2, the system controller α_1126 issues a responserequest (request) 1872 to collect sensing data (detection data) of thesensor combination module 1460 and receives the sensing data (detectiondata) as a reply (response) 1874 from the sensor combination module1460. Furthermore, as in case 3, if such sensing data (detection data)are notified to the system controller α_1126 by the sensor combinationmodule 1460 at optional times (or periodical times preliminarilydetermined), periodic/nonperiodic notification 1894 is performed.

Note that, in the system of the present embodiment, other datacommunication schemes can be used. For example, if the device controller1240-1 and the device 1250-1 with memory 1242 therein are disposed inthe system α_1132 as shown in FIG. 8A, the communication middlewarelayer APL06 and the expansion application layer EXL06 in accordance withA-format, E-format, or W-format as shown in FIG. 16 may be used for thedata communication between the device 1250-1 and the system controllerα_1126 on then-system network line 1782. In that case, for example,application software which can use the expansion application layer EXL06may be installed in the server n_1116-n in advance. Then, after approvalof a user is acquired through the user interface 1234 (shown in FIG.8A), the system controller α_1126 may automatically perform the installprocess of the application software in the system controller α_1126itself milts corresponding device 1250. In the case, the systemcontrollers 1126 accesses the server n_1116-n and transfers theapplication software preliminarily stored in the database 1118-n.Thereby, the out-system network line 1788 and the in-system network line1782 are connected through the system controller α_1126 and theautomatic install of application software in the corresponding device1250 can be performed. Thus, an environment in which the expansionapplication layer EXL06 can be automatically structured without causinga work load to users, and the updated device 1250 with new extendedfunction can be easily compatible and flexible in the network system.Note that, in the system of the present embodiment, communication datain accordance with C-format may be used in, for example, the datacommunication of the communication middleware layer APL06 between thesystem controller α_1126 and device 1250 in FIG. 16.

Note that, if the device 1250-1 and the server n_1116-n are directlyconnected to each other through the router (gateway) 1300 an in FIG. 9,the router (gateway) 1300 is disposed between the device 1250 and theserver n_1116-n instead of the system controller α_1126 in FIG. 16. Inthat case, the same communication data are used for the expansionapplication layer EXL06 and the communication middleware layer APL06 inboth the out-system network line 1788 and the in-system network line1782. Furthermore, in that case, since an original IP address is set ineach of the device 1250 and the server n_1116-n, the data communicationcan be performed directly between the device 1250 and the servern_1116-n using sender IP address data SIPADRS and receiver IP addressdata DIPADRS configured in the internet protocol version 6 layer (whichwill be described in Section 2.4 with reference to FIG. 13). In thatcase, the communication data in accordance with E-format or A-format areused in the data communication in the communication middleware layerAPL06 between the device 1250 and the server n_1116-n. However, in thesystem of the present embodiment, C-format or W-format may be usedinstead. Since the same communication data are used in the out-systemnetwork line 1788 and the in-system network line 1782, a work load of arelaying process of the router (gateway) 1300 can be greatly reduced.Note that different formats may be used between the physical layersPHY02 and PHY06 and between the media access layers MAC02 and MAC06 (inthe example of FIG. 16, Z-format is used in the in-system network line1782 and L-format or G-format is used in the out-system network line1788). In that case, the format conversion is performed in the router(gateway) 1300.

On the other hand, if data communication is performed between the systemcontrollers α_1126 and β_1128 which are disposed in the same domain2_1122-2 but in different systems α_1132 and β_1134, a communicationscheme similar to that adopted between the system controller α_1126 andthe server n_1116-n in the left of FIG. 10A may be used. In that case,the communication data on the out-system network line 1788 may be usedin the entire layers from the physical layer PHY06 to the expansionapplication layer EXL06. In that case, as mentioned above, the automaticinstall of application software may be performed with respect to thesystem controller β_1134. Thus, the communication data in accordancewith E-format or A-format are mainly used in the data communication inthe communication middleware layer APL06. However, no limitation isintended thereby, and in the system of the present embodiment, C-formator W-format may be used. In that case, a format used in the physicallayer PHY06 and the media access layer MAC02 may be:

L-format or G-format if a distance between the systems α_1132 and β_1134is far; and

Z-format is used if a distance between the systems α_1132 and β_1134 isclose.

Here, characteristically, the data communication can be performedthroughout the world with L-format or G-format while the communicationrequires relatively longer time, and the data communication area isrestricted with Z-format while the communication requires relativelyshorter time. Therefore, by switching formats to correspond to adistance between the systems, advantage of each format can bearbitrarily obtained.

Furthermore, as a variation of the system of the present embodiment, thestructures of FIGS. 1 and 8B may be merged. In that case, the systemcontroller β_1128 in the system β_1134 (FIG. 1) may directly access thecombination modules 1460 and 1470 in the system α_1132. In that case, acommunication scheme used will include the system controller β_1128 ofFIG. 1 is disposed instead of the server n_1116-n of FIG. 10A, and anin-domain network line is disposed instead of the out-system networkline of FIG. 10A. In that case, L-format, G-format, A-format, E-format,or W-format may be used for the communication data in the in-domainnetwork line 2082. Furthermore, in the system of the present embodiment,Z-format or C-format may be used. Furthermore, similarly to the above,Z-format and L/G-format may automatically be switched based on adistance between the combination module (in system α_1132) and thesystem controller β_1128. Note that the scheme using the internetprotocol version 6 layer IPv6 will be detailed in Section 2.8.

Section 2.2 Relationship Between Hierarchy of Communication RelatedFunctions and Communication Data on Network Line

FIG. 11 shows a relationship between the functional hierarchy of FIGS.10A and 16 to 17B and specific communication data contents transferredon actual network lines. Even if network communication media are wiredor wireless, communication data are transmitted intermittently in eachpacket on such physical communication media. The packet corresponds to aphysical layer frame PPDU of FIG. 11 (f). If a single channel (singlecorrespondent) is used, the packet occupies the network communicationmedia (physical layer frame PPDU) and other communication data cannot betransferred thereon. If the packet (physical layer frame PPDU) has alarge size, the occupation period of the network communication mediabecomes long, and other communication will be blocked. To solve thisproblem, in the system of the present embodiment, a data size of onephysical layer frame PPDU is set to be 127 bytes or less. Thus, a riskthat data communication other than the physical layer frame PPDUcommunication is blocked in the network system can be reduced. Onephysical layer frame PPDU includes, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), a physicalheader PHYHD, MAC layer header MACHD, IPv6 header IPv6HD, TCP headerTCPHD, communication middleware data APLDT, expansion data EXDT, andcyclic redundancy code CRC in the order of data transference from asender to a receiver (sequential order or order of data sending). Fromthe standpoint of FIG. 11 (f), the above may be interpreted that thefirst in the physical layer frame PPDU is a physical layer header PHYHD,and the next is physical layer data or physical layer payload PSDU inwhich a MAC layer header MACHD, IPv6 header IPv6HD, TCP header TCPHD,communication middleware data APLDT, expansion data EXDT, and cyclicredundancy code CRC are stored.

Note that, in the physical layers PHY02 and PHY06 of FIGS. 10A and 16 to17B, the physical layer frame PPDU is processed entirely. The physicallayers PHY02 and PHY06 are an abstract concept of the functionscorresponding to physical communication media. The actual process ofeach function of the physical layers PHY02 and PHY06 to the internetprotocol version 6 layer IPv6 is executed in the communication modules1768 and 1202-3 and the communication controller 1700 (FIG. 10A). Here,in this section, to simplify the explanation of a relationship betweenthe functions of each level and communication data transferred on thenetwork lines, a data handling order in each level will be explained indetail. However, no limitation is intended thereby and the communicationdata may be prepared while partially omitting the data handling of eachlevel. For example, in the communication modules 1768 and 1202-3 andcommunication controller 1700 (FIG. 10A) during data sending, data (datastructure) shown in FIG. 11 (a) may be directly prepared from thecommunication middleware data APLDT and expansion data EXDT (or thecommunication middleware data APLDT alone) from the communicationmiddleware layers APL02 and APL06 (more specifically, from the processor1230, 1738 or the interface in the communication module 1660 in FIG.10A), and the data may be sent through the network lines 1782 and 1788.Furthermore, in the communication modules 1768 and 1202-3 andcommunication controller 1700 (FIG. 10A) during data reception, anecessary physical layer frame PPDU alone is selectively extracted fromthe network lines 1782 and 1788 and the communication middleware dataAPLDT and expansion data EXDT (or communication middleware data APLDTalone) are extracted, and they are handed to the communicationmiddleware layers APL02 and APL06 (more specifically, to the processor1230, 1738 or the interface in the communication module 1660 in FIG.10A).

As a specific reception function performed by the physical layers PHY02and PHY06, the contents of the physical header PHYHD in the firstposition of the received physical layer frame PPDU are identified andthe physical layer data or physical layer payload PSDU in the subsequentposition is entirely handed to the media access layers MAC02 and MAC06.Thus, from the standpoint of the media access layers MAC02 and MAC06,the entire physical layer data or physical layer payload PSDUcorresponds to a MAC layer frame MPDU. On the other hand, as a specificsending function performed by the physical layers PHY02 and PHY06, theMAC layer frame MPDU received from the media access layers MAC02 andMAC06 is stored in the physical layer data or physical layer payloadPSDU and the physical layer frame PPDU in which the physical headerPHYPD is added to its first position is transferred through the networklines 1782 and 1788.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 11 (e), the MAC layer frame MPDU includes aMAC layer header MACHD, MAC layer data/payload MSDU, and cyclicredundancy code CRC in this order. In the media access layers MAC02 andMAC06 during the reception, access response control or the communicationmedia is performed using the communication data stored in the MAC layerheader MACHD in the MAC layer frame MPDU handed by the physical layersPHY02 and PHY06. Specifically, only the MAC layer data/payload MSDUrelated to the corresponding device 1250, combination modules 1460 and1470, or the system controller α_1126 is extracted and handed to theinternet protocol version 6 layer IPv6. On the other hand, during thesending, data handed from the internet protocol version 6 layer_IPv6 arestored in the MAC layer data/payload MSDU, and the MAC layer frame MPDUto which the MAC layer header MACHD is added is structured and is handedto the MAC layer frame MPDU.

Using the cyclic redundancy code CRC added to the end position of theMAC layer frame MPDU (FIG. 11 (e)), whether or not there is a data errorin the MAC layer frame MPDU can be checked (or a data error location canbe extracted). In the present embodiment, the cyclic redundancy code CRCis used. The CRC is calculated as a redundancy (remainder) obtained bydividing the whole MAC layer header MACHD and MACH layer data/payloadMSDU by a predetermined code in a binary notation (1s and 0s). In thedata sending, the cyclic redundancy code CRC calculated as above isadded to the end position of the MAC layer frame MPDU. In the datareception, a redundancy obtained by dividing the MAC layer header MACHDand MAC layer data/payload MSDU by the code is compared to the cyclicredundancy code CRC. If the redundancies match, it is recognized thatthere is no error. If there is an error, the location of error can beextracted through a reverse operation based on the cyclic redundancycode CRC obtained in the data reception. Here, an error correctionperformance (that is, a size of an error correctable area in theentirety of the error correction target data including the cyclicredundancy code CRC (the entirety of the MAC layer frame MPDU in thiscase)) is determined based on the data size of the cyclic redundancycode CRC. Thus, if the data size of the cyclic redundancy code CRC isfixed, the error correction performance is relatively improved becausethe data size of the entirety of the error correction target dataincluding the cyclic redundancy code CRC (MAC layer frame MPDU) becomessmaller, and thus, the data reliability of the MAC layer frame MPDU (theerror correction is taken into consideration) can be improved.

In consideration of the above, the cyclic redundancy code CRC isdisposed in the end position of the MAC layer frame in the presentembodiment as shown in FIG. 11 (e). As explained in Section 2.3 withreference to FIG. 12A, relatively highly robust data are contained a lotin the physical header PHYHD. That is, even if there are some error bitsin the physical header PHYHD, they can be dealt with by automaticcorrection through some means. In contrast, vary high data accuracy isrequired for the data in the MAC layer frame MPDU handled in the mediaaccess layers MAC02 and MAC06 or above layers. Thus, by adding the errorcorrection function to the MAC layer frame while excluding the physicalheader PHYHD which has relatively high robustness, the error correctionperformance is improved and the reliability of the whole communicationdata (physical layer frame PPDU) can be improved.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11(b), the data in which the IPv6 header IPv6HDis disposed in the first and IPv6 data/payload IPv6DU is subsequentlydisposed are stored in the MAC layer data/payload MSDU. Then, in theinternet protocol version 6 layer IPv6 during the data sending, acombination of the TCP header TCPHD, communication middleware dataAPLDT, and expansion data EXDT is stored in the IPv6 data/payloadIPv6DU, the IPv6 header IPv6HD is added thereto and handed to the mediaaccess layers MAC02 and MAC06. Furthermore, during the data reception,the IPv6 header IPv6HD is extracted from the MAC layer data/payload MSDUhanded by the media access layers MAC02 and MAC06, subjected to anoriginal treatment, and the communication middleware data APLDT andexpansion data EXDT (or the communication middleware data APLDT alone)are handed to the communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06.

Then, the communication middleware data APLDT and expansion data EXDT(or the communication middleware data APLDT alone) shown in FIG. 11 (b)are processed in the communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06.Here, various service functions provided through the networkcommunication by the communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06 areachieved by various processes performed by the processors 1230, 1738,2030, device controller 1240, or interface of the communication module1660 which are shown in FIGS. 10A and 16 to 17B.

Section 2.3 Data Structure of Z-Format in Physical Layer and MediaAccess Layer

FIG. 12A shows a specific data structure of the physical header PHYHDand the MAC layer header MACHD based on Z-format which is applicable tothe physical layer PHY02 and the media access layer MAC02 correspondingto the in-system network line 1782 (cf. FIGS. 10A and 16). Here,Z-format explained below is an example of the format used in the systemof the present embodiment, and other formats which can correspond to thein-system network line 1782 may be used instead. Furthermore, datatransferred on then-system network line 1782 is not limited to thosehave a hierarchy in which the physical layer PHY02 and the media accesslayer MAC02 are included, and data without a hierarchy or data with adifferent hierarchy may be used instead.

Initially, the data structure of FIG. 12A (c) is an exact transcriptionof the contents of FIG. 11 (a). As shown in FIG. 12A(b), the physicalheader PHYHD includes a synchronization header SYNC disposed in theinitial five bytes and length data of physical layer data/payload LPSDUdisposed by one byte immediately after the synchronization header SYNC.Thus, the data size of the physical header PHYHD is six bytes (five plusone). Note that the length data of physical layer data/payload LPSDUindicate the data size of the physical layer data/payload PSDU of FIG.11 (f) and are represented by bytes. As already explained in Section2.2, the maximum data size of the physical layer frame PPDU is set to127 bytes. Thus, the length data of physical layer data/payload LPSDUare set to be 121 bytes or less (127 minus 6).

Then, as shown in FIG. 12A(a), the synchronization header SYNC includesa preamble PRM of four bytes disposed initially and a physical layerframe initialization data SFD of one byte. As the preamble PRM,[00000000h] (where h is a hexadecimal value) is set. Here, a directionsequence spread spectrum scheme is used for the signal modulation, andthus, synchronization signals are obtained from 0s of the preamble PRM.Then, [A7h] is set within the area of the physical layer frameinitialization data SFD. Here, [A7h] which is a hexadecimal value isconverted to 10100111 in a binary notation.

The use of communication data within physical header PHYHD within thecommunication controller 1700 in the communication module 1660, or thecommunication modules 1768 and 1202-3 in FIG. 10A or within thecommunication module 1202-4 and 2002 in FIGS. 16 to 17B will beexplained. Generally, the communication data within physical headerPHYHD are used for chip synchronization and bit synchronization in thereceiver side. That is, the above communication modules include anoscillator (phase lock loop (PLL) circuit) which can automaticallysynchronize the frequency and phase. The oscillator (PLL circuit) canautomatically synchronize the frequency and phase to match the preamblePRM (chip synchronization). Then, the position of the physical layerframe initialization data SFD is detected by, for example, a patternmatching method, and (1) the oscillator recognizes the use of Z-formatfor the physical layer PHY02 and detects an initialization bit positionof the MAC layer header MACHD from a series of binary bits I/O (bitsynchronization).

As shown in FIG. 12A (d), the MAC layer header MACHD includes areasstoring a MAC layer frame control data MACNTL, MAC layer sequence numberMASQNM, and address data MADRS in the order of data transference from asender to receiver (sequential order or order of data sending).

In the first MAC layer frame control data MACNTL area, the control dataof the whole MAC layer frame MPDU (FIG. 11(f)) are stored in two bytes.Specifically, the MAC layer frame control data MACNTL include dataindicative of types of the MAC layer frame MPDU in the first three bits.The types are identification data such as a beacon, data, ACK(acknowledgment), and command frame type. In the next one bit, dataindicative of presence/absence of security are stored. In the followingone bit, data indicative of presence/absence of pending data are stored,and in the following one bit, data indicative of presence/absence ofacknowledgement message request are stored.

In the following one bit, data indicative that the data communication islimited within a private area network (PAN) or is performed across aplurality of PANs are stored. As already explained with reference toFIGS. 1 and 8A, in the system of the present embodiment, one PAN may beassociated with one system α_1132, or may be associated with one section1142. Thus, the setting of data may be changed depending on to which thePAN is associated. Note that, if Z-format is used in the datacommunication in the in-domain network line 2082, data indicative thatthe data communication is performed across, plurality of PANs may bestored in this area. This is because, as shown in FIG. 1, the system ofthe present embodiment allows a case where the system controllers α_1126and β_1128 are separated greatly in the domain 2_1122-2 (and thus arenot contained in a single PAN). In such a case, the data indicative thatthe data communication is performed across a plurality of PANs arestored in this area. On the other hand, if the system controller β_1128is mobile and is moved toward the system controller α_1126 (and thusboth the system controllers α_1126 and β_1128 are in the same PAN), thedata indicative that the data communication is performed within a PANare stored in this area.

Then, in the following two bits and the last two bits in the MAC layerframe control data MACNTL (two bytes), address mode data of each of thereceiver and the sender are stored. In Z-format, IEEE extensionaddresses DEXADRS and SEXADRS may be set or shortened addresses may beset. Here, as shown in FIG. 12A (e), in the system of the presentembodiment, the IEEE extension addresses DEXADRS and SEXADRS are usedfor the receiver and the sender, respectively, as address mode data. Inthe system of the present embodiment, the network communication isperformed through not only the communication modules 1202-3-6 in thesystem controller α_1126 and the devices 1250-1-3 in FIG. 8A but alsocombination modules such as the sensor combination modules 1460-1-5 andthe actuator combination modules 1470-1-2 in FIG. 8B. Thus, in thesystem of the present embodiment, the media access layer MAC02 easilyidentifies which modules are used for the network communication, thecommunication modules 1202-3-4 or the combination modules 1260-1-5 and1470-1-2, using the IEEE extension addresses DEXADRS and SEXADRS in theaddress modes (which will be described later with reference to FIG. 12B(e)). Through this process, (1) rapid switching of the communicationmiddleware layer APL02 (C-format or other format) in the receiver sidecan be performed, and (2) should any error occurs in the sender side(erroneous identification of communication modules 1202-3-4 orcombination modules 1460-1-5 and 1470-1-2), such an error can easily bedetected.

Now, the data storage area of the MAC layer sequence number MASQNM datasize of which is one byte as shown in FIG. 12A (d) will be explained. Asstated above, in the system of the present embodiment, the data size ofthe whole physical layer frame PPDU is set to 127 bytes or less. Thatis, if the data size of the communication middleware data APLDT andexpansion data EXDT (cf. FIG. 11 (b)) becomes larger, a single physicallayer frame PPDU becomes insufficient for the data communication(transfer). This risk increases especially when A-format or E-format isused in the communication middleware layer APL06. In consideration ofthis point, in the system of the present embodiment, the communicationmiddleware data APLDT and the expansion data EXDT are divided into256(2⁸) physical layer frames PPDU for the transference (communication).Specifically, the communication middleware data APLDT and the expansiondata EXDT are divided into a plurality of pieces and sequentiallytransferred (sent) to the network line. In that case, the physicalheader PHYHD and IPv6 header IPv6HD (and TCP header TCPHD) shown in FIG.11 (a) contain the same data contents. Then, in accordance with the datasending (communication) order on the network line, a value starting from0 (an increment value) is added one by one to the area in the area ofthe MAC layer sequence number MASQNM. As a result, the divisionalsending order of the communication middleware data APLDT and theexpansion data EXDT is set, and thus, stable data communication can beperformed even if the reception order of the physical layer frames PPDUchanges by a network trouble or the like.

The data structure in FIG. 12 (e) is the same as that of FIG. 12B (c).Thus, the address data MADRS in the MAC header MACHD will be explainedwith reference to FIG. 12B. Note that, in the system of the presentembodiment shown in FIG. 1, a single system α_1132 may be formed as asingle PAN or as a combination of a plurality of PANs. Or, each of thesections 1142-1-m in the system α_1132 may be formed of one ore morePANs. If a system α_1132 includes a plurality of PANs, the systemcontroller α_1126 needs to perform the management of the PANs. Thus,data are exchanged between different PANs in the system α_1132. Tocorrespond such a situation, the system controller α_1126 allocatesPAN-unique identification data to each PAN, and areas to storePAN-unique identification data DPANID and SPANID including receiver andsender nodes are set in a storage area of the address data MADRS asshown in FIG. 12B (c).

In both the receiver and sender IEEE extension addresses DEXADRS andSEXADRS, expanded IEEE extension address EXEXADRS of one byte and IEEE802.15.4 conformable per-chip address ADRSIEEE of eight bytes aredisposed to create each data storage area. Note that the IEEE 802.15.4conformable per-chip address ADRSIEEE includes unique numberspreliminarily allocated to all the communication modules 1202-3-6,sensor combination modules 1460-1-5, and combination modules sucksactuator combination modules 1470-1-2 which conform to the IEEE 802.15.4standard. The unique numbers are not redundant between differentcommunication modules and combination modules around the world. Notethat, although the unique numbers are mainly assigned to thecommunication modules 1202-3-6 and combination modules during theirfactory stage, they may be assigned by a direct request to, for example,the IEEE. In the issuance of such unique numbers by the IEEE or aparticular organization, individual performance and functions of acombination module and its corresponding communication data inaccordance with C-format (categories and template types used in datacommunication) are acquired in such an organization. Thus, using thedata of the IEEE 802.15.4 conformable per-chip address ADRSIEEE theindividual performance and functions of a target combination module canbe recognized and the type of communication data using C-format can beofficially estimated. Thus, the preparation of corresponding processesby the communication middleware layer APL02 can be accelerated andsimplified.

FIG. 12B (e) shows an example of data structure in the expanded IEEEextension address EXEXADRS of the system of the present embodiment. Thefirst one bit thereof is an area which stores module structure data MST.If the one bit is [0], it indicates the communication modules 1202-3-6stored in the system controller α_1126 and the devices 1250-1-3. If theone bit is [1], it indicates that the corresponding node has acombination module structure. Furthermore, data stored in the next onebit area indicate combination module structure data CMST. If the one bitis [0], it indicates that the corresponding node is a sensor combinationmodule, and if the one bits [1], the corresponding node is an actuatorcombination module.

Note that, the data sent from a sensor combination module includevarious data items such as binary optical level (illumination on/off),multi-valued optical level (corresponding to the luminosity), humanpresence, and temperature. Furthermore, as explained in Section 1.5 withreference to FIGS. 6A to 6D, data used for the control of an actuatorcombination module include various data items such as binary on/offdata, multivalued data, and remote control data of the device. Thus, thesystem of the present embodiment includes an area in which dataidentifying the types of the sensor combination modules 1460 andactuator combination module 1470 are stored as six bit combinationmodule type identification data CMTID. Note that, while the data CMTIDare set to identify the type of each of the combination modules 1460 and1470, the type of the device 1250 is identified by using the numberattribution in the <table> Element in A-format (cf. Section 2.7 and FIG.15B), and is identified by using exchangeable data type identificationdata EPC in E-format (cf. Section 2.6 and FIG. 15A (f)). Thus, thecombination module type identification data CMTID may be used as theexchangeable data identification data 1840 shown in FIG. 10B. As inA-format and E-format, the interpretation of data stored inmulti-valued/binary transmission data units CTMDT and CT2DT (describedin Section 2.5 with reference to FIG. 14 (d)) conforming to C-format canbe facilitated. Furthermore, if the module structure data MST,combination module structure data CMST, and combination module typeidentification data CMTID are compared to target node functionsestimated from the IEEE 802.15.4 conformable per-chip address ADRSIEEE,the accuracy and reliability of read of the address data MADRS can beimproved. That is, if a sender should erroneously writes data in astorage area of the module structure data MST, combination modulestructure data CMST, or combination module type identification dataCMTID, or if a receiver erroneously reads data with a bit shift(erroneous reading), such errors can be detected easily through theabove comparison. In that case, an alarm notification is made from areceiver to a sender. Specifically, for example, [000] is set in thecommunication access control data 1830 of FIG. 14 (d), and [00011] isset by combining the multi-valued transmission data CTMDT and binarytransmission data CT2DT. This will be further explained in Section 2.5.

Section 2.4 Data Structure of Internet Protocol Version 6 Layer

In Section 2.4, the data structure of the communication datacorresponding to the internet protocol version 6 layer IPv6 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 13. In this data structure, there areareas storing sender and receiver IP address data SIPADRS and DIPADRSeach described in sixteen bytes as shown in FIG. 13 (b). An IP addressis set uniquely and individually to every communication and combinationmodule in the world. The IP addresses uniquely and individually set tothe communication and combination modules in the world are notredundant. Therefore, in the system of the present embodiment in whichdata communication including IPv6 header IPv6HD (FIG. 13 (a)) isperformable, data communication can be established with particularcommunication module or a particular combination module from anywhere inthe world by simply entering the domain 2_1122-2 (FIG. 1).

IP packet related data IPPKT are stored in the initial eight bytes ofthe IPv6 header IPv6HD shown in FIG. 13 (b). As can be understood fromFIG. 13 (c), the IP packet related data IPPKT include areas storingfirst data SIPHD, IPv6 data/payload length data LIPv6DU, header typeidentification data NXHD immediately after the IPv6 header, andremaining passable node number data HPLMT in this order. The IPv6data/payload length data LIPv6DU indicate the data size of the IPv6data/payload IPv6DU shown in FIG. 11 (d) and the area storing the datahas two bytes.

Now, the header type identification data NXHD immediately after the IPv6header will be explained. As shown in FIG. 11 (a), various headers aresequentially stored in one physical layer frame PPDU. Then, the headertype identification data NXHD immediately after the IPv6 headerdesignate a header type immediately after the IPv6 header IPv6HD. Thus,in the example of FIG. 11 (a), TCP header TCPHD is designated as theheader type identification data NXHD immediately after the IPv6 header.Then, the header type identification data NXHD immediately after theIPv6 header can designate a communication path setting method on acommunication network (Internet). Note that, in the system of thepresent embodiment, data contents stored in the physical layer framePPDU are not limited to that of FIG. 11 (a) and different data may bestored therein. For example, as another variation, a different typeheader data may be disposed immediately after the IPv6 header IPv6HD.For example, a user datagram protocol (UDP) header may be disposedinstead of the transmission control protocol (TCP) header in FIG. 13.Or, as another variation, the communication middleware data APLDT may bedisposed/stored immediately after the IPv6 header IPv6HD. For example,if E-format is used for the communication middleware data APLDT, data ofE-format header E-HD are disposed/stored in the first area of thecommunication middleware data APLDT as described in Section 2.6 withreference to FIG. 15A (b). Thus, in that case, the header typeidentification data NXHD immediately after the IPv6 header designate theidentification data of the E-format header E-HD.

Data communication between the server n_1116-n and the system controllerα_1126 using the out-system network line 1788 shown in FIG. 10A or datacommunication between the system controller α_1126 and system controllerβ_1128 using the in-domain network line 2082 are rarely performeddirectly therebetween, and in many cases, data pass a plurality of relaypoints (relay nodes) through the out-system network line 1788 or thein-domain network line 2082. Here, the maximum number of the relaypoints (relay nodes) in the middle of the communication paths acceptablebetween the sender node and the receiver node is denoted by an integer(including zero) by the remaining passable node number data HPLMT inFIG. 13 (c). For example, if data communication is performed between apair of the above relationship, the value of the remaining passable nodenumber data HPLMT is initially set in the sender node. Then, every timewhen the communication data pass (are relayed by) the relay points(relay nodes) middle of the communication path, one is subtracted(decrements) from the remaining passable node number data HPLMT, thatis, when the data pass one relay point (relay node), one is subtractedfrom the value of the remaining passable node number data HPLMT. Then,when the remaining passable node number data HPLMT become zero, thenetwork data communication is discarded. Note that the remainingpassable node number data HPLMT are described in one byte, and thus, 256(2⁸) relay points (relay nodes) can be set at the maximum.

However, when the number of relay points (relay nodes) increases, acommunication time required until data from the sender reaches thereceiver (time required for data transference) becomes longer. In anemergency data transference such as alarm notification, thecommunication time must be shortened. In consideration of the datatransference time through the relay points (relay nodes), the number ofthe relay points (relay nodes) must beset 100 or less, and morepreferably, 10 or less. Thus, in the system of the present embodiment,the remaining passable node number data HPLMT in the sender side is setto 100 or less or, more specifically, 10 or less in the datacommunication through the out-system network line 1788 or the in-domainnetwork line 2082. Naturally, the value of the remaining passable nodenumber data HPLMT which is reset (updated) at each of the relay points(relay nodes) on the out-system network line 1788 or the in-domainnetwork line 2082 must be 100 or less, or more specifically, 10 or less.When the value of the remaining passable node number data HPLMTdecreases, a router disposed in some relay point (relay node) on theout-system network line 1788 or the in-domain network line 2082automatically finds the shortest path to the receiver node to preventdiscard of data communication in progress. Thereby, the time requiredfor the data communication between the server n_1116-n and the systemcontroller α_1126 or between the system controller α_1126 and the systemcontroller β_1128 can be shortened, and emergency data communicationsuch as alarm notification can be performed promptly.

On the other hand, as a data communication mode using the in-systemnetwork line 1782 of the system of the present embodiment, the datacommunication between the system controllers 1126 and the combinationmodules 1460 and 1470 as in FIG. 10A, and the data communication betweenthe system controller α_1126 and the devices 1260 as in FIG. 16 can beperformed. Then, as in FIG. 1, if a plurality of sections 1142 structurea single system and each section 1142 has a unique PAN, a networkcommunication connecting the PANs is required. In that case, a datatransference process is required in a relay point (relay node) everytime when communication data crosses adjacent PANs. Thus, in the systemof the present embodiment, the maximum number of relay points (relaynodes) between the sender node and the receiver node must be set even inthe data communication using the in-system network line 1782. Note thatthe combination modules used in the system of the present embodimenteach include a battery charger module (battery) 1554 as shown in FIG. 5for power supply. The power charged in the battery charger module(battery) 1554 is used every time when the data transference process isperformed in the relay point (relay node). Thus, in the datacommunication using the in-system network line 1782, the number of thecommunication data transference at the relay points (relay nodes) mustbe kept as small as possible. Here, the power used for one communicationdata transference and the power chargeable in a battery charger module(battery) 1554 are taken into consideration, a suitable number of relaypoints (relay nodes) is 30 or less, or more specifically, 10 or less.Therefore, when data communication is performed in the in-system networkline 1782 in the system of the present embodiment, the sender node setsthe value of the remaining passable node number data HPLMT to 30 orless, or more specifically, 10 or less. Thereby, unnecessary power useof a battery charger module 1554 in a combination module can beprevented, and the network communication in the system of the presentembodiment can be maintained stably for a long period.

As shown in FIG. 13 (d), the first data SIPHD area of the IPv6 headerIPv6HD includes version data IPVRS, communication class data IPCLS, andcommunication type label data IPLBL, disposed in this order therein. Thearea storing the version data IPVRS is four bits area and 6 (0110 in thebinary notation) as an internet protocol version.

The communication type label data IPLBL are stored in 2.5-byte areawhich is disposed immediately before the area where the IPv6data/payload length data LIPv6DU are stored. Note that, if the data sizeof the communication middleware data APLDT and the expansion data EXDT(FIG. 11 (d)) become large, such data are divided and disposed (stored)separately in a plurality of physical layer frames PPDU as explained inSection 2.3. In this method, to clarify the transference order betweenthe physical layer frames PPDU, incremented values are stored within theMAC number sequence number MASQNM area in the MAC layer header MACHD. Inparallel, if the communication middleware data APLDT (and the expansiondata EXDT) are scattered in different IPv6 data/payload IPv6DU areas(cf. FIG. 11 (d)), the communication type label data IPLBL is used toidentify the entirety of the communication middleware data APLDT (andthe expansion data EXDT) in the system of the present embodiment. Notethat the contents of the communication type label data IPLBL aredetermined in the sender node in the first place (before the networkcommunication begins). Thus, when gathered (a series of) communicationdata contents of the communication middleware data APLDT (and expansiondata EXDT) related to particular service are scattered (stored) in aplurality of IPv6 data/payload IPv6DU areas for communication, commonlabel data are stored in the entire storage areas of the correspondingcommunication type label data IPLBL. Note that, in the system of thepresent embodiment, the data communication between the server n_1116-nand the system controller α_1126 using the out-system network line 1788as in FIG. 10A, the data communication between the system controllerα_1126 and the devices 1250 using the in-system network line 1782 as inFIG. 16, and the data communication between the system controller α_1126and the system controller β_1128 using the in-domain network line 2082are performable. By changing the contents of the communication typelabel data IPLBL in communication middleware data APLDT (and expansiondata EXDT) related to each service, the communication in the aboverelationships can be performed with the communication middleware dataAPLDT (and expansion data EXDT) related to different services. As aresult, data communication related to different services can beperformed at once between the server n_1116-n and the system controllerα_1126 (or between the system controller α_1126 and the devices 1250, orbetween the system controller α_1126 and the system controller β_1128)to provide various services to users at once. In addition, by combiningthe communication type label data IPLBL and the MAC layer sequencenumber MASQNM in the MAC layer header MACHD, the accuracy of reliabilityconfirmation of communication data at the receiver can be improved.Furthermore, as another variation, the common data stored in thecommunication type label data IPLBL may be used as a cryptographic keyfor the communication middleware data APLDT (and expansion data EXDT)related to the same service.

Note that the communication class data IPCLS of FIG. 13 (d) are used toindicate a communication class in the network communication.Specifically, the communication class data IPCLS are considered to beused mainly in a layer above the internet protocol version 6 layer IPv6in FIG. 10A (that is, in communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06and expansion application layer EXL06). As already explained in Section2.3 with reference to FIG. 12B (d) and (e), the expanded IEEE extensionaddress EXEXADRS is used. Thus, as a variation of the system of thepresent embodiment,

discarding storage areas of the expanded IEEE extension address EXEXADRSin the receiver and sender IEEE extension addresses DEXADRS and SEXADRS;

storing only the IEEE 802.15.4 conformable per-chip address ADRIEEE inthe storage areas of the receiver and sender IEEE extension addressDEXADRS and SEXADRS (that is, conforming the receiver and sender IEEEextension addresses DEXADRS and SEXADRS to the IEEE 802.15.4 conformableper-chip address ADRSIEEE); and

storing the IEEE 802.15.4 conformable per-chip address ADRSIEEE in thestorage areas in the communication class data IPCLS (that is, conformingthe communication class data IPCLS to the IEEE 802.15.4 conformableper-chip address ADRSIEEE).

As already explained in Section 2.2 with reference to FIG. 10A, thefunctions of the internet protocol version 6 layer IPv6 are performed bythe communication module 1768 or 1202-3, or the communication controller1700 in the communication module 1660. Then, service providing functionscorresponding to the communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06 andthe expansion application layer EXL06 are performed by the processor1738 or 1230, or the interface 1710 of the communication module 1660.Thus, the data including IPv6 header IPv6HD which are disposed beforethe TCP header TCPHD in FIG. 11 are processed by the communicationmodule 1768 or 1202-3 or the communication controller 1700 of thecommunication module 1660. Similarly, the communication middleware dataAPLDT (and expansion data EXDT) are processed by the processor 1738 or1230, or the interface 1710 in the communication module 1660. Then, uponreceipt of a physical layer frame PPDU, the communication class dataIPCLS are initially processed in the communication module 1768 or1202-3, or the communication controller 1700 in the communication module1660, and the communication middleware data APLDT (and expansion dataEXDT) are handed over to the processor 1738 or 1230, or the interface1710 in the communication module 1660. Thus, by storing the expandedIEEE extension address EXEXADRS in (the storage area for thecommunication class data IPCLS) the IPv6 header IPv6HD, a preparation tocorrespond to combination modules can be made in the processor 1738 or1230, or the communication module 1660 in advance to reception of thecommunication middleware data APLDT (and expansion data EXDT). Thereby,the speed of process performed by the system controller α_1126 inresponse to the communication data sent from the combination modules canbe improved.

Section 2.5 Data Structure of C-Format in Communication Middleware Layer

In the system of the present embodiment, the main purpose of C-format isto be used in the communication middleware layer APL02 sent to thecombination modules 1460 and 1470 on the in-system network line 1782 asexplained in Section 2.1 with reference to FIG. 10A. Furthermore, apartfrom the above, C-format may be used in the data communication betweendevices indifferent systems, specifically, between the system controllerβ_1128 in the system β_1134 and the communication modules 1460 and 1470in the system α_1132 as explained in the last section of Section 2.1.Alternatively, C-format may be used in data communication with devices1250. Here, in C-format, the expansion application layer EXL06 (cf. FIG.10A) is not defined and is only used in the communication middlewarelayer APL02.

The data structure of C-format is designed as simple as possible toreduce the work load of the communication modules 1460 and 1470 to aminimum. As one of the simplest designs of the data structure, dataredundancy in the areas between the physical header PHYHD and the TCPheader TCPHD in FIG. 11 (a) is prevented to a maximum (details andadvantages thereof will be described later). For example, in thisstructure, the size data of the communication middleware data APLDT isnot stored therein but is stored as IPv6 data/payload length dataLIPv6DU in the IPv6 header IPv6HD. Here, the IPv6 data/payload lengthdata LIPv6DU indicate the data size of the IPv6 data/payload IPv6DU inFIG. 11 (d). Since the data size of the TCP header TCPHD ispreliminarily determined, and data size of the communication middlewaredata APLDT is automatically derived from the IPv6 data/payload lengthdata LIPv6DU as shown in FIGS. 14 (c) and (d). The basic data size ofthe communication middleware data APLDT in C-format is defined to onebyte; however, depending on the contents of communication data betweenthe combination modules 1460 and 1470, the data size thereof may exceedone byte by adding expanded transference data CEDT to the last part ofthe communication middleware data APLDT as shown in FIG. 14 (d).

As already explained in Section 2.1 in FIG. 10B, exchangeable data(table) 1810 used in the data communication include network accesscontrol data 1830 in A-format or E-format. The network access controldata 1830 carte stored in C-format in a three-bit format. Especially, bydescribing in the three-bit format (that is, describing 8 control datatypes), various network access control data 1830 types can beidentified. As a specific control method, in a time of instruction(command issuance) 1852 described in case 1 of FIG. 10B, a resetinstruction of [111] is set as the network access control data 1830.When sending a result report (status) 1854, a response reply of [010],or report notification, or acknowledgement notification of [001] is setas the network access control data 1830.

In the system of the present embodiment, where data communication isperformed by converting signals detected through an analogue way bysensors in the sensor combination module 1460 in binary data, athreshold value (a reference level used for the binary signalconversion) can be set externally. To set the threshold value, athreshold level setting instruction of [110] is set as the networkaccess control data 1830 to correspond to the instruction (commandissuance) 1852 in case 1 of FIG. 10B.

On the other hand, a response (data) request of [011] is set as thenetwork access control data 1830 to correspond to a response request(request) 1872 in case 2 of FIG. 10B. In a response 1874 thereto, aresponse reply/report notification of [010] is set ache network accesscontrol data 1830.

Furthermore, the response reply/report notification [010] is set as thenetwork access control data 1830 to correspond to theperiodic/nonperiodic notification 1894 voluntarily performed by thecombination modules 1460 and 1470 as in case 3 of FIG. 10B. When anerror is detected in the combination modules 1460 and 1470, the alarmnotification is performed by setting [000] to the network access controldata 1830 as the nonperiodic notification. Furthermore, when theperiodic notification is performed voluntarily by the combinationmodules 1460 and 1470, a time interval between periodic notificationscase set by the system controller α_1126. In that case, an instructionof the intervals between the notifications can be performed by setting[101] to the network access control data 1830.

For example, a case where a smart meter 1124 of FIG. 8A reports usedpower (common goods) to the system controller α_1126, server n_1116-n,or wholesale firm A_1102 at the above time intervals will be considered.In such a case, the report may be prepared as instantaneous values ofthe user power (common goods) measured in moments, or an accumulationvalue of the used power measured at particular intervals. Inconsideration of this point, in the system of the present embodiment,data accumulation intervals are instructed by setting [100] to thenetwork access control data 1830. Here, if [00000] is designated to anarea storing transmission data immediately after the storage area of thenetwork access control data 1830, the instantaneous values of usage ofgoods (used quantity of the common goods such as power) are reportedfrom combination modules at designated time intervals.

As shown in FIG. 14 (d), four-bit storage area of multi-valuedtransmission data CTMDT set immediately after the storage area of thenetwork access control data 1830 and one-bit storage area of binarytransmission data CT2DT send transmission data of multi-values orbinary. Here, in the present embodiment, a specific data storage areaindicative of either binary or multi-values is not included in thetransference data but the identification of binary/multi-values isperformed by the transference data. That is, if the transference dataare binary, values of four-bit multi-valued transmission data CTMDT areset to zero (that is, [0000]). To indicate an ON state or an OK state,[1] is set to the binary transmission data CT2DT. To indicate an OFFstate or NG (No) state, [0] is set to the binary transmission dataCT2DT. On the other hand, if an error occurs in the combination modules1460 and 1470 and an alarm notification is sent to the system controllerα_1126 ([000] is set in the network access control data 1830), thefollowing transference data setting method is used. In that case, [0000]is set in the multi-valued transmission data CTMDT. Then, if the errorin the combination modules 1460 and 1470 is a sensor detection error oran actuator error (actuator is uncontrollable or difficult to control),[1] is set to the binary transmission data CT2DT. Note that, as shown inFIG. 5, since a battery charger module (battery) 1554 is stored in eachof the sensor combination module 1460 and the actuator combinationmodule 1470, there is always a risk of low battery (shortage). When thebattery charger module (battery) 1554 become slow, [0] is set to thebinary transmission data CT2DT to notify the low battery to the systemcontroller α_1126.

On the other hand, if the transference data is multi-valued, the dataare represented in five-bit signals as a combination of the multi-valuedtransmission data CTMDT and the binary transmission data CT2DT. Forexample, if 0 to 100% of multi-valued data are stored as thetransference data, the multi-value data of 0 to 100% are divided intothirty portions and represented from [00010] (which corresponds to 0%)to [11111] (which corresponds to 100%). However, in the system of thepresent embodiment the multi-valued data may be represented by othermethods using the combination of the multi-valued transmission dataCTMDT and the binary transmission data CT2DT. Furthermore, if thecommunication of sensor data or setting of threshold values or controlvalues requires very high accuracy for, for example, detecting atemperature or humidity, or changing a luminosity of an illumination,thirty divided portions of the multi-value will be insufficient for therepresentation of the multi-value data. In such a case, a storage areaof expanded transference data CEDT may be added to immediately after thearea storing the binary transmission data CT2DT to increase the accuracyin the representation of the multi-valued data. The number of bits usedfor the representation of multi-value depends on the IPv6 data/payloadlength data LIPv6DU in the IPv6 header IPv6HD as mentioned above.

As above, binary data or multi-valued data are identified not bybinary/multi-value identifiers but by the contents of transmission data,and thus the data size of the communication middleware data APLDT can bereduced. As a result, data communication traffic (slowdown) on thein-system network line 1782 can be smoothed, and process in thecombination modules 1460 and 1470 (especially, in the interface 1710shown in FIG. 10A) is simplified, and costs of the combination modules1460 and 1470 can be reduced.

Furthermore, data indicative of meaning of transference data representedin a multi-value are not stored in an area in the communicationmiddleware data APLDT conforming to C-format. Instead, in the system ofthe present embodiment, the data of IEEE 802.15.4 conformable per-chipaddress ADRSIEEE of FIG. 122B are used as the data indicative of meaningof transference data represented in a multi-value. As already describedin Section 2.3, an organization which issues the IEEE 802.15.4conformable per-chip address ADRSIEEE grasps the functions andperformances of the combination modules 1460 and 1470 corresponding tothe address. By publishing the data on the internet, the meaning of thetransference data corresponding to the combination modules correspondingto the IEEE 802.15.4 conformable per-chip address ADRSIEEE can berecognized. Furthermore as can be understood from the explanation ofSection 2.3 with reference to FIG. 12B and the explanation of Section2.4 with reference to FIG. 13 (d), the combination module typeidentification data CMTID can be stored in the receiver or sender IEEEextension addresses DEXADRS or SEXADRS in the MAC layer header MACHD orin the communication class data IPCLS in the IPv6 header IPv6HD. Thus,by combining the IEEE 802.15.4 conformable per-chip address ADRSIEEE andthe combination module type identification data CMTID, the meaning andinterpretation method of transference data CTMDT, CT2DT, and CEDT(represented in multi-value data, for example) transferred between thecombination modules 1460 and 1470 can be recognized accurately. Thecombination module type identification data CMTID are, since they can beused in the meaning and interpretation method of the transference dataCTMDT, CT2DT, and CEDT, related to the exchangeable data typeidentification data 1840 (cf. FIG. 10B). That is, the combination moduletype identification data CMTID can be used for the same purpose as thenumber attribute (cf. FIG. 15B (b)) in <table> Element of A-format whichwill be described in Section 2.7. On the other hand, the exchangeabledata type identification data 1840 correspond to the exchangeable datatype identification data EPC (cf. Section 2.6 using FIG. 15A (f)) ofE-format. As to both E-format and A-format, the exchangeable data typeidentification data 1840 of FIG. 10B are stored in the communicationmiddleware data APLDT.

As compared to E-format or A-format, data in the MAC layer header MACHD(combination module type identification data CMTID of FIG. 12B (e)) ordata in the IPv6 header IPv6HD (data in communication class data FIG. 13(d) in Section 2.4) can be used in C-format as data related to theexchangeable data type identification data 1840 of FIG. 10B. Asexplained in Section 2.2, the process of communication data progressesfrom the lower level of the structure of FIG. 10A in a data reception.Thus, if which modules is a target node, a sensor combination module1460 or an actuator combination module 1470, and also what type ofcombination module is used are preliminarily determined at a relativelylower function level such as the media access layer MAC02 or theinternet protocol version 6 layer IPv6, C-format conforming preparationcan be performed in the interface 1710 before the communicationmiddleware data APLDT are handed from the communication controller 1700in the communication module 1660 (shown in FIG. 10A) to the interface1710. Thereby, the communication data process in the receiver side canbe accelerated.

Furthermore, as described above, C-format uses data defined in one levelin the other levels to decrease the data size of the communicationmiddleware data APLDT. Thus, the data communication traffic (slow down)on the in-system network line 1782 can be smoothed, process in thecombination modules 1460 and 1470 (especially, in the interface 1710shown in FIG. 10A) can be simplified, and costs of the combinationmodules 1460 and 1470 can be reduced.

Now, a specific example of the communication middleware data APLDT inC-format in accordance with the above method will be explained. Forexample, if the system controller α_1126 performs an instruction(command issuance) 1852 (FIG. 10B) of operation stop with respect to theactuator combination module 1470, [111] reset instruction is set to thenetwork access control data 1830, [0000] binary data instruction is setto the multi-valued transmission data CTMDT, and [0] off instruction isset to the binary transmission data CT2DT. Or, if the sensor combinationmodule 1460 sends a notification (report) that 50% of common goods iscurrently used to the system controller α_1126, [010] reportnotification is set to the network access control data 1830, and [10001]50% is set to the five-bit area which is a combination of themulti-valued transmission data CTMDT and the binary transmission dataCT2DT.

Furthermore, another specific example of the communication middlewaredata APLDT will be explained. As described in Section 4.3;

an adult person with a relatively large finger can stably perform aninput even if the sensitivity of a touchpad or a capacitance button islow; however a child or a female person with a relatively small fingercannot perform an input unless the sensitivity of the touchpad or thecapacitance button is increased much. In relation to this point, thesystem controller α_1126 performs the following sensitivity setting withrespect to the sensor combination module 1460 which corresponds to atouchpad or a capacitance button after estimating/determining acondition of a user (size of his/her finger) in accordance with Section4.3. In that case, [110] threshold value level setting instruction isset to the network access control data 1830. Then, if the sensitivity ofthe touchpad or the capacitance button is increased from 25 to 73%,[11000] corresponding to 73% is set to the five-bit area which is acombination of the multi-valued transmission data CTMDT and the binarytransmission data CT2DT.

In the above example, communication timing of binary data related toon/off state setting or the like is separated from communication timingof multi-value data related to user condition setting or the like, ifthe communication data are binary or multi-valued is identified bychecking whether or not there is [0000] in the multi-valued transmissiondata CTMDT. However, no limitation is intended thereby. For example, thebinary data related to on/off state setting or the like and themulti-valued data related to user condition setting or the like can betransferred at the same time. In that case, one-bit binary data may beset to the binary transmission data CT2DT and four-bit multi-valued datamay be set to the multi-valued transmission data. If the binary data andmulti-valued data are sent together such that both starting an operationand setting a condition setting value (such as temperature setting), thefrequency of data communication between the system controller α_1126 andthe combination modules 1460 and 1470 is decreased, and the datacommunication traffic in the in-system network line 1782 (FIG. 10A) canbe smoothed.

As described above, the accuracy and stability of the communication canbe improved when a combination of the IEEE 802.15.4 conformable per-chipaddress ADRSIEEE and the combination module type identification dataCMTID. If an error should occur in the system controller α_1126, and thefunction of the combination modules 1460 and 1470 is mistaken, such anerror can be detected by comparing the data of the system controllerα_1126 and the data of the combination modules 1460 and 1470. If thecombination modules 1460 and 1470 detect the error in the systemcontroller α_1126, the system of the present embodiment supports thecombination module 1460 and 1470 to notify the error detection to thesystem controller α_1126. In that case, [000] alarm notification is setto the network access control data 1830 of FIG. 14 (d). Then, [00011] isset to the five-bit area of the combination of the multi-valuedtransmission data CTMDT and the binary transmission data CT2DT for atarget erroneous identification notification. As above, in the system ofthe present embodiment, if an error occurs in the system controllerα_1126, the combination modules 1460 and 1470 can notify the error tothe system controller α_1126. Thus, the stability and reliability of thedata communication on the in-system network line 1782 can be improved.

Section 2.6 Data Structure of E-Format in Communication Middleware Layer

The main purpose of E-format used in the system of the presentembodiment is, as described in Section 2.1 with reference to FIG. 16, tobe used in the communication middleware layer APL06 which is mainlytransferred to the devices 1250 and the server n_1116-n. However, nolimitation is intended thereby, and E-format may be used in the datacommunication between the system controller α_1126 and the systemcontroller β_1128, or may be used in the data communication with thecombination modules 1460 and 1470. Furthermore, as described in Section2.1 with reference to FIG. 10B, the data communication is basicallyperformed exchanging the exchangeable data (table) 1810 between thesender node and the receiver node in E-format. Thus, the exchangeabledata (table) 1810 (or a part thereof) are stored in the IPv6data/payload IPv6DU as a part of the communication middleware data APLDTshown in FIG. 11 (a). As described in Section 2.7, A-format is describedin a text format in a broad sense. In contrast, in E-format, datacorresponding thereto are stored in a configuration code in a particulararea set in advance. Thus, E-format is defined as a format which storesa configuration code in a particular area in the communicationmiddleware data APLDT. Therefore, in the system of the presentembodiment, E-format includes every format which stores configurationcodes in series in a particular area set in advance.

In the first position of the communication middleware layer data APLDTof E-format, an E-format header E-HD shown in FIG. 15A (b) is stored ina two-byte area. Then, the value of E-format header E-HD is set to[1081h] (h is a hexadecimal value and this is [0001000010000001] inbinary notation). In the subsequent two-byte area, request-responseassociation identification data TID are stored. The request-responseassociation identification data TID are a parameter to associate apreliminarily-sent response request with a received response when asender sends a response request and receives the response. A sequence ofreceiving a response 1874 to a response request 1872 corresponds to thesequence of case 2 in FIG. 10B. The code stored in this area can bedesignated arbitrarily by the sender node of the response request. Then,when the receiver node makes the response to the response request, thesame code as the code set by the sender node of one-previous requestresponse is stored in the area of the receiver node. On the basis of adegree of match of the request-response association identification dataTID, whether or not the reception data indicate a response to theone-previous request response is determined.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15A(b), E-format data E-DT stored in the areanext to the request-response association identification data TIDcorrespond to the exchangeable data 1810 explained in Chapter 2.1 withreference to FIG. 10B. As shown in FIG. 15A (c), the E-format data E-DTinclude three-byte sender device identification data SEOJ, three-bytereceiver device identification data DEOJ, one-byte communication accesscontrol data ESV, control/process related data CMI, disposed in thisorder. Here, the one-byte communication access control data ESVcorrespond to the network access control data 1830 explained in Chapter2.1 with reference to FIG. 10B.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15A (d), both the sender deviceidentification data SEOJ and the receiver device identification dataDEOJ include one-byte device-type group code DTGC, one-byte device-typecode DTC, one-byte same type device identification code DIDC, disposedin this order. The device-type group code DTGC indicates groups ofdevice types to specify which group a target device is included, such asa sensor related device group, air conditioner related device group,residence/facility related device group, or cooking/housework relateddevice group. The device-type code DTC indicates a type of device suchas a television or an air conditioner. Note that, if there are aplurality of devices 1250 which are the same type of device in a singlesystem α_1132 (for example, if there are several air conditionersdisposed in one residence), the same type device identification codeDIDC is set to identify each device 1250.

If each device 1250 is given as an air conditioner, a plurality ofsetting items such as a temperature, strength of air current, winddirection, and timer (automatic on/off) can be set and changed(condition change control). Thus, in the exchangeable data (table) 1810shown in FIG. 10B, conditions related to a plurality of items or sametime setting change instructions related to a plurality of items(condition change control data) are defined even for a single device,and such data can be described in a table format. Thus, thecontrol/process related data of FIG. 15A (c) can perform conditionchange control such as condition data collection and setting change of aplurality of items at the same time, as shown in FIG. 15A (e). Thenumber of items of the condition data to be collected at the same time,or the number of items conditions of which are changed at the same time(setting change is performed) is described in one byte as number ofcontrol/process NCM. By the number of items set by the number ofcontrol/process NCM, the first to nth control/process data CM-1-n aredisposed in this order.

As shown in FIG. 15A (f), exchangeable data type identification data EPCof one byte, data size PDC of individual exchangeable data of one byte,and individual exchangeable data EDT are disposed in each of thecontrol/process data CM-1-n in this order. The individual exchangeabledata EDT include items such as condition data to be collected, conditiondata to be sent as a response, and condition change (setting change)control data corresponding to each device 1250. Furthermore, data sizedata of each of the individual exchangeable data EDT are stored at thedata size PDC of individual exchangeable data.

Note that, depending on the type of device 1250 (that is, depending oncontents of device-type code DTC), items indicative of conditions anditems of targets of condition change control (setting change) differ.Thus, in E-format, items of data conditions of which should be collectedand their data representation format are preliminarily determineddepending on the type of the device 1250 (contents of the device-typecode DTC), or items which should be subjected to the condition changecontrol (setting change) and representation format of the control dataare preliminarily determined depending on the type of device 1250, andtemplates and item codes (template codes) are prepared in accordancewith the representation format of each item. The item code set to eachtype of device 1250 (contents of the device-type code DTC) is stored asthe exchangeable data type identification data EPC. The exchangeabledata type identification data EPC correspond to the exchangeable datatype identification data 1840 shown in FIG. 10B.

Now, the E-format data E-DT corresponding to the exchangeable data(table) 1810 will be explained with reference to a case where a settingchange (condition change control) of a home air conditioner is performedby the system controller α_1126. Note that an instruction (commandissuance) of setting change (condition change control) irE-formatcorresponds to a write request explained in Section 2.1. Thus, as thecommunication access control data ESV (1830) of FIG. 15A (c), [60h] (=noresponse is required) or [61h] (=response is required) is set.Furthermore, as a setting code of the communication access control dataESV (1830), [62h] is set when the instruction corresponds to a readrequest, [73h] is set when the instruction corresponds to anotification, and [72h] is set when the instruction corresponds to aread response. The device-type group code DTGC of the home airconditioner is [01h] which is an air conditioner related device group.Furthermore, the device-type code DTC is [30h]. When the air conditioneris assigned as the first air conditioner in the system α_1132, the sametype device identification code DIDC is [01h]. Thus, when the systemcontroller α_1126 sends a command 1852 for the condition change controlof the home air conditioner (this corresponds to case 1 of FIG. 10B),the identification data of the receiver in FIG. 15A (c) indicate[013001h]. When the air conditioner is activated by the systemcontroller α_1126, the exchangeable data type identification data EPCare [80h], data size PDC of individual exchangeable data are [01h] (=onebyte), and individual exchangeable data EDT are [30h]. When the abovedata are combined altogether, the initial control/process data CM-1 are[800130h]. Then, as nth control/process is set to 26° C., theexchangeable data type identification data EPC are [B3h], data size PDCof individual exchangeable data are [01h] (=one byte), and individualexchangeable data EDT are [1 Ah] which indicates 26° C. As the abovedata combined altogether, nth control/process data CM-n are denoted as[B3011A].

Section 2.7 Data Structure of A-Format in Communication Middleware Layer

The main purpose of A-format used in the system of the presentembodiments, as explained in Chapter 2.1 with reference to FIG. 16, tobe used in the communication middleware layer APL06 which is mainlyexchanged with the device 1250 or the server n_1116-n. However, nolimitation is intended thereby. A-format may be used in datacommunication between different system controllers α_1126 and β_1128, ormay be used in data communication between combination modules 1460 and1470. Furthermore, as explained in Section 2.1 with reference to FIG.10B, the data communication is performed by exchanging the exchangeabledata (table) 1810 between a sender node and a receiver node. Therefore,the exchangeable data (table) 1810 (or a part thereof) are stored in theIPv6 data/payload IPv6DU as a part of the communication middleware dataAPLDT shown in FIG. 11 (a).

As shown in FIG. 15B, A-format may be described in an extensible markuplanguage (XML) format as the communication middleware data APLDT. In thepresent application, a text base description method such as XML orhypertext markup language (HTML) will be referred to as a text format ina broad sense. In HTML format, tags are used in the description.However, the text format in a broad sense does not necessarily include atag and any description containing a text format can be interpreted asthe text format in a broad sense. Thus, programs such as Java applet,Java script, and C language are included in the text format in abroadsense. By describing the communication middleware data APLDT in the textformat in abroad sense, the versatility and extensibility of thecommunication middleware data APLDT can be secured. Thus, in the systemof the present embodiment A-format is defined as a forma described in atext format in a broad sense as the communication data related to thecommunication middleware layer APL. Any formats described in the textformat in a broad sense are included in A-format. The exchangeable data(table) 1810 structured in a table format as in FIG. 10B may beinterpreted as a <table> Element area (area defined by tags from <table-> to </table>) in FIG. 15B.

Furthermore, in A-format, <tdl> Element which is a Root Element may beset as a Parent Element of the <table> Element. Here, <tdl> istransferring data language. Furthermore, as in FIG. 15B (b), date ofpreparation of the <table> Element may be described using dataattribution as the attribution data of the <tdl> Element. In thedescription of FIG. 15B (b), the date of preparation of the table isDec. 25, 2014.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15B(b), the number attribution or the nameattribution in the <table> Element corresponds to the exchangeable datatype identification data 1840 shown in FIG. 10B. Note that, in thecommunication middleware data APLDT described in A-format, there is notan area to indicate data corresponding to the device type group codeDTGC and the device type code DTC as in E-format explained in Section2.6. Instead, templates of the table defining items to be collected forcondition check and data representation format in the device 1250, oritems of condition change control (setting change) and representationformat of the control data of the device 1250 are finely set withrespect to each device type. A table number and its table name aredesignated to each template of the table set finely with respect to eachdevice type. Here, as described as number=“02” in FIG. 15B (b), atemplate number of a table may be directly designated by the numberdesignated by number attribution. Thus, by describing the numberattribution or the name attribution in the <table> Element, descriptionof the communication middleware data APLDT automatically matching thetemplate of the table can be performed. Furthermore, in the system ofthe present embodiment, an additional text may be associated with theexchangeable data type identification data 1840 used for the selectionof standard templates used in data exchange tables. Furthermore,similarly to the method of associating the template of the table withthe type of device 1250 by designating the value with the numberattribution, the combination module type identification data CMTID ofFIG. 12B (e) may be used for standard template calling for the dataexchange corresponding to the combination modules 1460 and 1470 (whichwill be described in detail in Section 2.5).

Here, as an example of the communication data description in thecommunication middleware data APLDT conforming to A-format,periodically-accumulated power value measured by the smart meter 1124 isnotified as an accumulated current value (amperes) to a service providerB_1112-2 (server n_1116-n therein) which is a power supplier.Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the smart meter 1124 is connected tothe system controller α_1126 or the wholesale firm A 1102 through thenetwork, the communication data may be sent to the system controllerα_1126 and the wholesale firm A 1102. On the other hand, a voltage valueto be supplied is preliminarily determined depending on the position ofthe smart meter 1124 (that is, a voltage value is determined tocorrespond to a house building, or industrial factory), and anaccumulated current value is notified instead of an accumulated powervalue. Aside from the example of description of FIG. 15B (b), datadescribed in a text format in abroad sense can be used in the datacommunication between any devices 1250 and any combination modules 1460and 1470.

As an example of the notification of the accumulated current value, astandard table (table template) including a table number of 2 and atable template name of Device Nameplate Table may be used in A-format.Furthermore in A-format, table may be abbreviated to TEL. Therefore, thenumber attribution in the <table> Element will be described asnumber=“02” and the name attribution will be described isname=“DEVICE_NAMEPLATE_TEL”.

As described in Section 1.7, a smart meter may notify use conditions ofvarious kinds of common goods such as gas, clean water, and sewerage inaddition to the power. In the example of the description in FIG. 15B(b), a type attribution is written type=“E_ELECTRIC_DEVICE_RCD”, inwhich RCD means Record of packed Record. As described in Section 2.2,the communication middleware layer data APDLT (or a part thereof)described in FIG. 15B(b) are packed in the MAC layer data/payload MSDUfor the communication. The communication with the communicationmiddleware layer data APDLT (or a part thereof) packed and recorded in aphysical layer frame PPDU is described as packed Record. The same termis used in the number attribution in the <packed Record> Element to bedescribed as name=“E_ELECTRIC_DEVICE_RCD”.

As in Section 2.1 and FIG. 10B and in Section 2.6, A-format and E-formatinclude the network access control data 1830 in the exchangeable data(table) 1810. Then, the network access control data 1830 are associatedwith the accessibility attribution in the <table> Element or the <set>Element. Using the accessibility attribution, a sender node an requestany one of READWRITE, READONLY, and WRITEONLY to a receiver node. Here,READ is an instruction to read a condition of a receiver node (such asdevice 1250 and combination module 1460 and 1470) and to send data readtherein (or notify sensor data), and it corresponds to a read request inE-format. Furthermore, WRITE is a data replay or an instruction ofcondition change setting to the receiver node, and it corresponds to thenotification, read response, or write request in E-format. Then,READWRITE is used to instruct a sequence performance of response request1872/response 1874 in case 2 of FIG. 10B to the receiver node. Or, inthe system of the present embodiment, a different description text maybe associated with the network access control data 1830. In the exampleof FIG. 15B (b), accessibility=“WRITEONLY” is set because theaccumulated current value (amperes) data measured by the smart meter1124 are notified to the receiver node (such as server n_1116-n,controller α_1126, or wholesale firm A 1102).

Furthermore, an element in the example of FIG. 15B (b) is an item suchas sensing target data, detection target condition data, or conditiondata as control (setting change) target. The element is described ineach <element> Element as to per item preliminarily designated in atemplate of a table selected to match the data contents (data contentsdesignated by number attribution or name attribution in <table> Element)designated in the exchangeable data type identification data 1840 inFIG. 10B.

Here, in preliminarily settable templates with their table number being2, the table template defined as type=“E_ELECTRIC_DEVICE_RCD”preliminarily includes, as items defined in <packed Record> Element,E_KH (periodically accumulated power), E_KT (test pulse output),E_INPUT_SCALAR (defining unit of communication data and indicating acompression rate of the value input by sensors), E_ELEMENT (local numberof smart meter), E_VOLTS (real time monitoring of instant voltagevalue/change in voltage in power transmission system), and E_AMPS(periodically accumulated current value). In the example of FIG. 15B(b), only E_KH and E_AMPS are defined using <element> Element.

Tag <element> Element defining E_KH in the name attribute states thatthe notification of power periodically accumulated by the communicationdata. As being standardized, what E_KH means can be interpreted from thedescription of <element name=“E_KH”>. However, <description> Element isset such that the contents of the exchangeable data (table) 1810 can beunderstood without referring to a standard specification. Since A-formatcan be described in a text format in a broad sense, auxiliaryexplanation can be added by such a broadly used text in A-format.Therefore, the contents of description can be interpreted withoutreferring to a standard specification, and the exchangeable data (table)1810 can be easily interpreted at the receiver node.

As an example of A-format, values are set using <set> Element. However,no limitation is intended thereby, and values may be set through adifferent description method. Furthermore, in advance to the use of<set> Element, a type of “E_AMPS_RCD” is defined in <element> Element inwhich E_KH is defined with the name attribution (thus, <elementname=“E_AMP” type=“E_AMPS_RCD”/>) to indicate that the item of aperiodically accumulated current value is packed Record in the MAC layerdata/payload MSDU and notified. Then, <set> Element is defined using thesame E_AMPS_RCD.

The periodically accumulated current value measured by the smart meter1124 is defined in the value attribute in <enum> Element (enum is anelectrical numerator). Here, the smart meter 1124 automaticallysubstitutes the measured value to $$$$ of value=“$$$$”. Furthermore, avariable identifier E_AMF'S of the values set here is designated by thename attribution in <enumerator> Element.

As an auxiliary explanation function in A-format, <description> Elementcan be cited as aforementioned. However, no limitation is intendedthereby, and such auxiliary explanation may be performed using labelattribution or text attribution.

Section 2.8 Address Table Used in System of Present Embodiment andExample of Use Thereof

The descriptions in Sections 2.3 to 2.7 indicate that addresses set in amodule may be redundant in each level. FIG. 23 shows data structure ofan address table indicating a list of various addresses set with respectto a sensor mule 1260-1 and an actuator module 1270-1 of FIG. 8A or anactuator combination module 1470-1 and a sensor combination module1460-5 of FIG. 8B. As a method of using the address table, a methoddescribed in Section 4.2 may be used aside from the method described inthis section.

In FIG. 23, vertical columns indicate the redundancy of variousaddresses of the actuator combination module 1470-2 and the sensorcombination module 1460-5 in FIG. 8B, and also indicate the redundancyof various addresses set in the sensor module 1260-1 and the actuatormodule 1270-1 of the device 1250-1 of FIG. 8A. Note that IEEE extensionaddress EXADRS which is one of the address items in the address table ofFIG. 23 is given to the communication module chip 1202-4 (cf. Section2.3). Therefore, the IEEE extension address EXADRS corresponding to thesensor module 1260-1 and the actuator module 1270-1 of FIG. 23 isassociated with the communication module chip 1202-4 in the same device1250-1.

Regarding the address items in the address table of FIG. 23, an IEEEextension address EXADRS is set individually in a media access layerMAC02, as explained in Section 2.3. Then, an IP address IPADRS (senderIP address data SIPADRS/receiver IP address data DIPADRS) is setindividually in an internet protocol version 6 layer IPv6, as explainedin Section 2.4. A same type device identification code DIDC is set in acommunication middleware layer APL056 to conform to E-format explainedin Section 2.6.

In the system of the present embodiment, the system controller β_1128and the memory 1232 of the system controller α_1126 include a list ofFIG. 23 with the section data indicative of the current position of eachmodule, and thereby:

(1) service can be provided efficiently and accurately;

(2) format conversion in the system controller β_1128 and the systemcontroller α_1126 can be performed easily; and

(3) detection of error in the sender node or in nodes on a communicationpassage can be performed easily.

Thus, the credibility of data communication can be improved. As will beexplained in Chapter 4, service can be provided with sections 1_1142-1to m_1142-m individually. Thus, when conditions of devices 1250 andactuator combination modules 1470 are controlled (setting conditions arechanged) in each section 1142 as a form of the service, the conditioncontrol (change of setting condition) of target devices 1250 and targetactuator combination modules 1470 can be very easily performed using thedata of FIG. 23.

Furthermore, as explained in Section 2.1, if the data communication isperformed through different network lines (in-system network line1782/out-system network line 1788/in-domain network line 2082), formatmay be changed during the data communication. Such a format change canbe performed smoothly and accurately with the data of FIG. 23.

Now, a specific example of data communication will be given with a casewhere the data communication is performed between a device 1250 orcombination modules 1460 and 1470 in the system α_1132 and a systemcontroller β_1128 in the system β_1134. During the data communication, aformat conversion is performed in the system controller α_1126performing the data relay. However, in the system of the presentembodiment, the data of FIG. 23 can be used in any type of networkcommunications. As a precondition, a case where the data of FIG. 23 arepreliminarily stored in the memory 1232 in both the system controllersα_1126 and β_1128 is given. Even if the location of the systemcontroller β_1128 is greatly distant from the system α_1132, the systemcontroller β_1128 can recognize what kind of data can be collected fromthe system α_1132 and what kind of condition control (change ofcondition setting) can be performed using the data of FIG. 23.Furthermore, since the internet protocol version 6 layer IPv6 can beused in the entire data communication, the IP address data IPADRS areset in advance in the system controller β_1128, devices 1250, andcombination modules 1460 and 1470.

Now, a method of converting C-format to E-format in the communicationmiddleware layers APL02 and APL06 in the system controller α_1126 duringthe data communication will be explained. As explained in Section 2.5,C-format does not include any address data, and thus data necessary forsetting E-format cannot be obtained from C-format. However, data relatedto E-format are preliminarily recorded in the table of FIG. 23. Thus,data conforming to E-format are prepared in the system controller α_1126(specifically, in the processor 1230 thereof) using the device typegroup code DTGC, device type code DTC, and same type deviceidentification code DIDC in the table of FIG. 23.

In contrast, a case where A-format, E-format, or W-format is conversedinto C-format will be explained. As explained in Section 2.5, whenC-format is used in the combination modules 1460 and 1470, expanded IEEEextension address EXEXADRS of FIG. 12B (d) and (e), which is defined b,the levels other than the communication middleware layer APL02, is used.However, a C-format conforming process can be performed smoothly if IEEEextension address EXADRS of each of the combination modules 1460 and1470 in the table of FIG. 23. If any format which does not include anexpanded IEEE extension address EXEXADRS in the IEEE extension addressEXADRS should be used, the attribution data of the combination modules1460 and 1470 still can obtained through the internet using the IEEE802.15.4 conformable per-chip address ADRSIEEE. Of course, no limitationis intended thereby, and any other method may be used instead. That is,since the internet protocol version 6 layer IPv6 is common in the entiredata communication in the system of the present embodiment, data of theexpanded IEEE extension address EXEXADRS of FIG. 12B (d) can bepreliminarily stored in the communication class data IPCLS of FIG. 13(d) as explained in Section 2.4 (even if the data communication isperformed using a format other than C-format).

Now, a method of converting format in the system controller α_1126(specifically, in the processor 1230 thereof) in relation to thephysical layers PHY02 and PHY06 and the media access layers MAC02 andMAC06 will be explained. In that case, only physical layers and mediaaccess layers are switched using the data of the table of FIG. 23 on thebasis of the common IP address IPADRS designated by the internetprotocol version 6 layer IPv6. That is, sender IP address data SIPADRSand receiver IP address data DIPADRS (cf. FIG. 13 (b)) are stored incommon in the IPv6 header IPV6HD in the system of the presentembodiment, regardless of communication middle path. Thus, receiver PANunique data PANID and receiver IEEE extension address EXEADRS used inZ-format can be extracted from the data in the table of FIG. 23 byreferring to the receiver IP address data DIPADRS.

The reliability of the data communication through network lineman beimproved using the data in the table of FIG. 23, and this point will beexplained in this final part of this section. If an error should occurin the sender node or in data relaying nodes in the middle of thecommunication path (including the system controller α_1126),inappropriate data may be incorporated in a part of the communicationdata shown in FIGS. 12A to 15B, and this will block the datacommunication in the network system. However such an error in thecommunication data and a position of error can be very easily specifiedby the verification of the communication data using the data in thetable of FIG. 23 performed by the system controllers α_1126 and β_1128.As a result, the reliability of the data communication can be improved.

Chapter 3 Management/Display Method for Each Unit Section 3.1 Outline ofBasic Unit Management Method

As described in Section 1.1 with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the systemof the present embodiment comprises a hierarchical structure of“domain/system/section/unit/device or combination module”. That is,domain 2_1122-2 is composed of at least one system α_1132, and onesystem can be divided into the sections 1142. Then, unit 1290 isarranged for each of the sections 1142. Device 1250, combination module1295 or a mixed system thereof is accepted as a specific form of unit1290. Furthermore, system controller α_1126, which manages or controlsnetwork communication in system α_1132, or acquires data of the networkcommunication, is present, and manages unit 1290. Here, alternativemanagement/control/data acquisition of in other system controller β_1128can also be properly performed to handle an unexpected situation such asa power failure or a breakdown. Furthermore, “movable” or “arrangementof the outside of corresponding system α_1132 at least for a temporaryperiod” is accepted for alternative system controller β_1128.

In the system of the present embodiment, units are managed for each ofsystems α_1132, as the management method of units based on thehierarchical structure. As described above, system controller α_1126 (ofsystem controller β_1128) manages or controls the network communicationfor each system, or acquires data of the network communication. Thus, asdescribed above, an advantage is found in that convenience concerningthe management/control/data acquisition of the network communication ofsystem controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128) can be improvedby collectively managing all units 1290 included in the same systemα_1132 by the unit of system α_1132.

Alternatively, an advantage is also found in that a unit 1290 to bemanaged in system α_1132 is switched depending on units 1290 whichenters or leaves system α_1132 using plug-in processing, plug-outprocessing or check-in processing to be described later in Section 4.2.That is, when a specific unit 1290 enters system α_1132, systemcontroller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128) automatically detect it,and automatically registers specific unit 1290 as a unit 1290 to bemanaged of system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128). Onthe contrary, when another predetermined unit 1290 goes out of systemα_1132, system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128)automatically detects it, and automatically deletes predetermined unit1290 from unit 1290 to be managed of system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128).

This allows the network communication in specific system α_1132 to bemanaged with stability and high reliability kept, even if a plurality ofunits 1290 frequently enter or leave specific system α_1132.

For example, when an external hard disk device, an external optical diskdevice, a USB memory device, of the like is connected to a conventionalcomputer system, it is automatically recognized (plug-in processing) asa new additional drive (for example, D drive or E drive), and managed asa drive. If the small number of units 1290 are included in the samesystem α_1132, each of units 1290 may be managed as an individual driveas described above. However, in the system of the present embodiment, alarge number of units 1290 can be included in the same system α_1132. Ifunits 1290 are successively added as drives in the same system α_1132,for example, a D drive, an E drive, . . . , as described above, thedrive management will fail after a Z drive is added. Units 1290 managedusing the conventional art in this manner comprises the followingproblem (A):

(A) It is impossible to handle increase of the number of units 1290 inthe same system α_1132.

When port allocation for network communication control, etc., is alsotaken into consideration as well as the drive management, the followingrelated problem (B) arises:

(B) As the number of units 1290 increases, corresponding port allocationfails.

When unique and novel measures are taken to avoid problems (A) and (B),the following problem further arises:

(C) Compatibility with management method in conventional computer systemis lost.

To simultaneously solve problems (A) to (C), units are managed by amethod similar to that of managing files through a computer network inthe present embodiment. One unit 1290 is considered to be nearly equalto one pseudo file. The processing of predetermined data acquisition(for example, gathering of sensor data) from unit 1290 viewed fromsystem controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128) which managesunit 1290 is managed as data reproduction (READ) processing from unit1290. Similarly, the processing of changing (controlling) a settingcondition to unit 1290 viewed from system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128) which manages unit 1290 is managed as writing (WRITE)processing of setting condition data (content to be controlled) afterchange of unit 1290.

Here, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is often specified to specify afile storage position on the network when files are managed through acomputer network. However, the position of unit 1290 is determined to bein the same system α_1132, and thus, system α_1132 to be managed isallocated as one drive, folder or directory, instead of specifying URLin the present embodiment. If an individual drive is allocated for eachof units 1290 as in (A), it will be hard to handle the increase of thenumber of units 1290. However, if only a single drive, folder ordirectory is allocated to one system α_1132 as described above, theincrease of the number of units 1290 can be flexibly handled. Further, afailure does not occur in the port allocation, producing an advantage ofsecuring compatibility with the management method in the conventionalcomputer world.

Next, a method of realizing the basic concept is described. There is amethod of defining anew unit management-capable application interface(API) to apply the management method of unit 1290 by applicationsoftware in which a computer network is used. Alternatively, a new unitmanagement-capable built-in function or a subprogram which can bereferred to or utilized may be defined. A program called a “subroutine”may be used as a subprogram which can be referred to or utilized fromthe other program. Furthermore, the built-in function may be a programcalled “function” or a predetermined program called “method” which isbuilt in specific application software (specific class) and used usingJavaScript.

Section 3.2 Unit Management Means

The basic concept of the unit management described in Section 3.1 isrealized not only by the above application software but by hardware tobe described below.

FIG. 18A shows a hardware configuration and a software hierarchicalstructure around the conventional computer system. Processor 3010 in acomputer is connected to a communication controller 3028 and a recordingmedium controller 3024 through a busline 3012. Mutual communication ofdevice drive (commonly called debadora)-capable command/status data isperformed between processor 3010 and the recording medium controller3024 through a connector 3018 directly connected to the busline 3012.The recording medium controller 3024 decodes it, and directly drives arecording medium (hardware) 3014. Here, a hard disk, an optical disk, aflash drive, etc., are cited as a specific example of the recordingmedium (hardware) 3014.

The data communication executor 3016 indicates a portion in whichnetwork communication is actually executed, and comprises communicationmeans based on wired or wireless communication medium. The datacommunication executor 3016 is controlled by processor 3010 in the samemanner as the above.

As conventional computer control by software, an operating system (OS)layer 3030 comprises a device driver area 3022 engaged in the control ofthe recording medium (hardware) 3014, and a communication driver area3026 engaged in the control of the data communication executor 3016. Onthe other hand, an application software 3050 issues an applicationprogramming interface (API) command 3045 to the OS layer 3030, andexecutes the application software 3050.

System controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128) comprises a greatadvantage, in comparison with the conventional art, that both datacommunication control by use of the out-system network line 1788 andthat by use of the in-system network line 1782 are used as shown in FIG.10A. Then, both an out-system connection-capable data communicationexecutor 3017 and an in-system connection-capable data communicationexecutor 3015 are included as shown in FIG. 18B. In FIG. 18B, both ofthem are separately shown for convenience. However, no limitation isintended thereby, and the out-system connection-capable datacommunication executor 3017 and the in-system connection-capable datacommunication executor 3015 may be overlapped/shared, or one may besubstantially included in the other, which is expressed as broadinclusion.

The out-system connection-capable data communication executor 3017 andthe in-system connection-capable data communication executor 3015 inFIG. 18B mean a transceiver of a wireless radio wave (includingdetection) or a communication data transceiver of wire communication.Thus, an out-system connection-capable communication controller 3029 andan in-system connection-capable communication controller 3021 whichcontrol them are present. In the figure, a predetermined program areacorresponding to an out-system connection-capable communication driverarea 3027 and that corresponding to an in-system connection-capablecommunication driver area 3025 are present in the OS layer 3030 forconvenience. However independent subprogram is not necessarily present.Both of hem may be partially shared, or a program step of one of themmay be overlapped/shared with a program area corresponding to a BasicInput/Output System (BIOS) control area 3020.

To realize the outline of operation described in Section 3.1, amanagement/control area of in-system unit 3034 corresponding to avirtual device drive area (the term “device driver” which corresponds toa recording devices used for management for each unit as a pseudo file)is (physically really or virtually) formed in the embodiment of FIG.18B. The management/control area of in-system unit 3034 is composed of(at least part of) processor 3010 with a hardware structure comprising acontrol program corresponding to the in-system connection-capablecommunication driver area 3025, the in-system connection-capablecommunication controller 3021, and the busline 3012 (including theconnector 3018) which connects both of them.

The structure in the management/control area of in-system unit 3034corresponds to the processor combination module 1465 described withreference to FIG. 4D. That is, as has already been described in Section1.3, a portion engaged with network communication by use of thein-system network line 1782 in system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128) forms combination module 1295 called the processorcombination module 1465.

Even if a special line of the in-system network line 1782 is used, it isconsidered that the portion engaged with the network communicationshould be regarded as part of the communication controller 3028 or thecommunication driver area 3026 of FIG. 18A in the conventional art.However, as described in Section 3.1, if unit 1290 is managed byconsidering it to be nearly equal to one pseudo file, themanagement/control area of in-system unit 3034 is functionally close tothe device driver area 3022 in FIG. 18A. Thus, at least part of themanagement/control area of in-system unit 3034 is included in a devicedrive area 3022 in the OS layer 3030 in the embodiment shown in FIG.18B. As shown in FIG. 18B, part of a control program corresponding to anexisting device driver area 3022 may be used to manage unit 1290.Alternatively, part of the control program corresponding to an existingBIOS control area 3020 may be used to manage unit 1290 (that is, part ofthe control program corresponding to the BIOS control area 3020 may beincluded in the management/control area of in-system unit 3034).

In the embodiment of FIG. 18B, a predetermined OS is used in systemcontroller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128). However, no limitationis intended thereby, and system controller α_1126 (or system controllerβ_1128) may be executed without using any existing OS.

The applied example of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 19A and 19Bindicates means for managing unit 1290 using JavaScript. A Java VirtualMachine (JVM) is placed in each of corresponding processors 3010 insteadof using a predetermined OS in this JavaScript.

The program environment executed herein is composed of a class group3160, and, for example, a main method 3148 in an application class 3158is executed in accordance with a user request. The class group 3160comprises various programs written in JavaScript.

In FIG. 19A, processor 3010 and the in-system connection-capable datacommunication executor 3015 are hardware. The operation of the in-systemconnection-capable data communication executor 3015 is controlled bythin-system connection-capable communication controller 3021.

In the conventional art, a program engaged with file management in thelass group 3160 is stored in a file class 3154 composed of a pluralityof instance method groups in the file class 3144. On the other hand, inthe applied example of the embodiment, a management/control class in thein-system unit 3150 for managing unit 1290 is newly set in the classgroup 3160. An area in which a method group relating tomanagement/control of units 3140 is stored is present in themanagement/control class in then-system unit 3150. A program forexecuting segmentalized operations related to management/control of unit1290 is present as various methods. A group of these various methods iscalled a method group, and forms the method group relating tomanagement/control of units 3140.

Next, the relationship between a program 3188 described in the mainmethod 3148 in the application class 3158 and the method group relatingto management/control of units 3140 is described with reference to FIG.19B.

When the application class 3158 is started, import processings 3174 and3170 (import processing) of a prespecified file class 3154 and themanagement/control class in the in-system unit 3150 newly suggested inthe applied example of the present embodiment is performed. The instancemethod group in the file class 3144 included in the incorporated(imported) file class 3154 and the method group relating tomanagement/control of units 3140 included in the management/controlclass in the in-system unit 3150 can be used in the application class3158.

Next, a file system can be effectively executed with reference 3194 to apredetermined method in an instance method group in the file class 3144from a program step 3188 described in the main method 3148. Similarly,management/control/data acquisition of unit 1290 can be effectivelyperformed with reference 3190 to a specific method included in a methodgroup relating to management/control of units 3140 from another programstep 3188 described in the main method 3148.

In the applied example of the present embodiment, a predeterminedorganization different from the user creates a program compatible withthe management/control class in the in-system unit 3150 in advance, andproperly additionally installs it in system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128) over the Internet. Furthermore, since the programstep 3188 which makes reference 3190 to a specific method in the methodgroup relating to management/control of units 3140 in a main method 3148comprises one line (several lines at most), the management/control/dataacquisition of unit 1290 in the application class 3158 can be performedvery easily. The use of the method produces an advantage thatmanagement/control/data acquisition means of unit 1290 can be easilyincorporated without substantially placing a burden on a softwaredeveloper of system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128).

FIG. 20 shows comparison between an existing file system and the unitmanagement method in the present embodiment. Basic management dadsstored in a storage medium in the existing file system, while beingstored in memory 1232 of system controller α_1126 in the unit managementmethod of the present embodiment. Next, a method of accessing content(predetermined file in file system, and predetermined unit in unitmanagement) is described. In the existing file system, a file name(including URL where a file is stored) is specified, and a range inwhich predetermined data in the file is recorded is specified by arelative address range in the file. On the other hand, in the unitmanagement method of the present embodiment, an address of acorresponding unit is specified. The specified address means an addressdescribed in the address table of FIG. 23 (for example, IP addressIPADRS or IEEE extended address EXADRS). Since the size of data of unit1290 (setting condition data and sensor data to be changed) isrelatively small in the unit management method of the presentembodiment, dates read/written as a whole unit 1290. This produces anadvantage that the management/control/data acquisition is greatlysimplified in comparison with the existing file system.

Management data for managing a whole file or the whole unit 1290corresponds to file management data such as a file allocation table(FAT) and a universal disk format (UDF) in the existing file system, andcorresponds to the address table in FIG. 23 in the unit managementmethod of the present embodiment. Here, data to be read/changedcorresponds to content (data) in a file in the existing file system, andcorresponds to sensor data and various types of state data/settingstatus (to be changed) in the unit management method of the presentembodiment. Alternatively the exchangeable data (table) 1810 shown inFIG. 10B is also included in the data to be read/changed in the unitmanagement method of the present embodiment.

The unit management method of the existing file system and that of thepresent embodiment are greatly different from each other in presence ofa function of listing the whole content. That is, in the existing filesystem, a list of file names can be known by the file management data,but the whole file content cannot be easily known. Thus, it is necessaryto open all the files one by one, and to newly summarize content inorder to know all the file content, which requires much effort. On theother hand, since the unit management method of the present embodimentcomprises the time-series data tracking table of FIG. 28, the wholecontent of unit 1290 can be instantly understood. The unit managementmethod of the present embodiment comprises the means for uniquelyunderstanding the whole content of unit 290 as described above,producing an advantage that the management/control/data acquisition ofthe whole unit 1290 in system α_1132 can be quickly and easilyperformed.

Section 3.3 Specific Unit Management Example and Display Example

In many cases, system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128)automatically acquires data from unit 1290 and controls unit 1290.However, the user sometimes wants to manually control specific unit1290, and to acquire data from specific unit 1290. In that case, adisplay example of a management screen of unit 1290 displayed in theuser interface 1234 of system controller α_1126 shown in FIG. 2 isdescribed below. A display screen example is described below. However, asimilar method may be used as a management method for each of units 1290based on system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128).

As has already been described in Section 3.1, only a single drive,folder or directory is allocated to one system α_1132 in the presentembodiment. FIG. 21A shows the situation. A plurality of units 1290 insystem α_1132 which comprise various hierarchical structures(hierarchical structures as a folder or those as a directory structure)ease management.

FIG. 21A (a) shows an example of unit 1290 hierarchized(folder/directory division) for content, and FIG. 21A (b) shows anexample hierarchized (folder/directory division) for each of sections1142 divided in the same system α_1132. However, no limitation isintended thereby. It can be properly hierarchized (folder/directorydivision) in accordance with convenience of the user.

FIGS. 21B to 21D show a display/management example when the folder movesto a low-level folder in accordance with the hierarchy (folder/directorydivision) of FIG. 21A (a). In the display/management example of FIG. 21A(a), a list data folder 2610 in which the address table in FIG. 23, theestimation/determination collating table in FIG. 27, and the time-seriesdata tracking table in FIG. 28 are collectively stored, and foldersdivided for each form of unit 1290 are arranged in “T drive”corresponding to a unit management virtual drive. As has already beendescribed in Section 1.2 with reference to FIG. 3A, the form of unit1290 comprises device 1250, combination module 1295, a mixed formthereof, and others. In FIG. 21A (a), a device folder 2612 and acombination module folder 2614 are arranged based on it.

Next, of these folders, a display example (internal structure) of thefolder corresponding to combination modules 2614 is shown in FIG. 21B.As has already been described in Section 1.3, a form such as the sensorcombination module 1460, the actuator combination module 1470, theprocessor combination module 1465, the memory combination module 1475,or the display combination module 1478 is accepted as the form ofcombination module 1295. Thus, in FIG. 21B, a sensor combination modulefolder 2622, an actuator combination module folder 2624, a processorcombination module folder 2626, a memory combination module folder 2628,and a folder corresponding to another functional combination modulefolder 2630 are correspondingly arranged, and managed in accordance withthem.

Of these folders, a display example (internal structure) of the sensorcombination module folder 2622 is shown in FIG. 21C. As has already beendescribed in Section 2.5, two types of sensor data are detected by thesensor combination module 1460 and acquired, that is, in a case ofbinary data and a case of multivalued data. In FIG. 21C, a binary datafolder 2634 and a multivalued data folder 2638 are correspondinglyarranged and managed in accordance with them.

In FIG. 21D (a), all the sensor combination modules 1460 included in thebinary data folder 2634 are arranged as pseudo files. Thedisplay/management made in this manner produces an advantage thatmanagement/control/data acquisition can be performed very easily by oneunit 1290. Content of sensor data detected/acquired by the sensorcombination module 2_1460-2 can be displayed to the user as in FIG. 21D(b) by, for example, clicking a conventional file to open it. Here, whenthe actuator combination module 1470 is opened, current setting statusis displayed. Then, control (setting condition change) can be easilyperformed by pasting (inserting) another numerical value in a displayarea of FIG. 21D (b) concerning unit 1290 which can control (change asetting condition of) the actuator combination module 1470, etc.Applying such a display method and a management method produces anadvantage of enabling the user to control (change the setting conditionof) a specific unit 1290 very easily and quickly.

Chapter 4 Outline of Section in System of Present Embodiment

This part describes first the basic concept of a section in the systemof the present embodiment. Then, it describes methods of collecting dataand of offering services using the idea of the section. It finallydescribes a method of detecting a position of a source node using aradio wave generated from the source node, and services by use of it.

Section 4.1 Position of Section in System of Present Embodiment

The section in the system of the present embodiment is defined as atleast one of a unit related to integration or management of datacollected in a system, and a unit related to services offered in asystem. Thus, a unit corresponding to the section may be used not onlyto integrate/manage the collected data but also to offer services. Tocarry out both purposes, services may be offered to the user inconjunction with (or based on) an integration/management result of thecollected data.

The unit may be a collection related to a function concerning the dataacquisition or the service offering in the same system. Alternatively,another form of the unit may be a collection related to predeterminedspace in the same system. The collection related to the space may bespecifically predetermined continuous space in the same system.Alternatively, the collection related to the space may be specifically,for example, a predetermined group of collections ofdiscretely-distributed continuous space (like stepping stones). In thiscase, dispersed distribution may be mixed between section 1_1122-1 andsection 2_1122-2 which are different from each other in the same systemα_1132.

As shown in FIG. 1, the same system α_1132 is composed of at least onesection. Thus, the whole system α_1132 may spatially completely overlapone section 1_1122-1, and may be divided into a plurality of sections1_1122-1 to m_1122-m. Alternatively, different sections 1_1122-1 tom_1122-m may be partially spatially overlap each other.

First, the position of the section is described with an example shown inFIGS. 25A and 25B. FIGS. 25A and 25B show a building divided into tworooms. Spatial units, section 1_1122-1 (left room) and section 2_1122-2(right room) are added to the rooms. Suppose a light device is turned onin the left room (section 1_1122-1) and turned off in the right room(section 2_1122-2) as shown in FIG. 25A. Then, suppose a plurality ofoptical sensors are arranged in both sections 1_1122-1 and 2_1122-2(sensor module 1260 comprising alight detection function may be includedin device 1250 (FIG. 1), or sensor combination module 1460 may be formedas shown in FIG. 8B). When system controller α_1126 integrates/managessensor data obtained from an optical sensor arranged in section1_1122-1, large light amount detection data is obtained from all thesensor data. Conversely, small light amount detection data is merelyobtained from all optical sensors arranged in section 2_1122-2. Thesensor data obtained from sections 1_1122-1 and 2_1122-2 comprises acommunality as described above. Various sensor data obtained from eachof sections 1_1122-1 and 2_1122-2 is integrated or managed toestimate/determine conditions in each of sections 1_1122-1 and 2_1122-2in the system of the present embodiment. The accuracy of theestimation/determination is improved using a result obtained byintegrating or managing a plurality of data items acquired from section1122 to estimate/determine the conditions in the same section 1122.

Next, a case where air conditioning is performed using only anair-conditioner provided in section 1_1122-1 as shown in FIG. 25B undervery cold outdoor conditions is assumed. In this case, since the airconditioning is not performed in section 2_1122-2, services of warmthare not offered to the user in the right room. Conversely, the servicesof warmth are offered in common to the user in the left room whereverthe users. The same services are often offered in the same section 1122in this manner. Controlling the service offering for each section 1122to the user in the system of the present embodiment in this mannerproduces an advantage of easily managing services to the user in thesame system α_1132. Further, detailed services can be offered to theuser, in comparison with the services offered in the whole systemα_1132, by carrying out the services by the unit of sections 1 tom_1142-1 to m, improving end-user satisfaction.

Although a room is used to describe the section, no limitation isintended thereby in the system of the present embodiment. Any spatialunit meeting the above definition may be applied to the section.

In the system of the present embodiment, system controller α_1126configured to control or manage network communication in network systemα_1132, or to acquire data of the network communication may partitionsystem α_1132 into sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m. As described above,system controller α_1126 can automatically partition it into sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m by automatically detecting a range in which it isdarkened at the same time, a range in which it is lightened at the sametime, a range in which a temperature increases or decreases at the sametime, or the like. Alternatively, it may be partitioned based on aresult of a photo taken with a camera, etc. However, no limitation isintended thereby, and it may be partitioned into sections 1_1142-1 tom_1142-m by direct designation of the user.

Section 4.2 Method of Managing Position in Section of Various Modules orDevices

As described in the above example, it is necessary to known in advancewhich of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m comprises each of units 1290(device 1250 and combination modules 1295, 1460 and 1470) in order toacquire data in system α_1132 corresponding to system controller α_1126,and to estimate/determine conditions for each of sections 1_1142-1 tom_1142-m. To realizing it, data of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-marranged in at least one unit 1290 (device 1250 and combination modules1295, 1460 and 1470) in the same system α_1132 is managed. This isdifferently expressed below. That is, system controller α_1126 (FIG. 1)configured to acquire and manage uniquely acquired and created data(corresponding to function of the different function module 1440 in FIG.4A) from a plurality of units 1290 (FIG. 2) comprising a function ofcommunicating the data (by communication module 1660 in FIG. 4A)partitions it into sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m for each of units 1290,manages it, and holds data concerning sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m towhich each of units 1290 belongs.

From the perspective of system α_1132 (client system), this clientsystem (system α_1132) comprises system controller α_1126 which isconnectable to an external cloud (server n_1116-n) and configured tomanage data, and unit 1290 comprising a function of acquiring orcreating data provided to system controller α_1126 to transmit it,wherein the system controller α_1126 partitions unit 1290 into sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m, manages it, and holds data concerning the sectionsto which each of the units 1290 belongs.

The data concerning the sections of each of units 1290 corresponds tothe address table in FIG. 23 to be described.

In Section 4.2, the management method for realizing the above is mainlydescribed. The following description is premised on a system model inwhich system controller α_1126 placed in system α_1132 shown in FIGS. 2,8A and 8B manages, operates or controls network communication systemα_1132. Alternatively, the description may be applied to a system modelin which system controller β_1128 or server n_1116-n placed outsidesystem α_1132 in FIG. 9 manages, operates or controls networkcommunication system α_1132 through the router (gateway) 1300. In thiscase, system controller α_1126 in the description can be replaced withsystem controller β_1128 or server n_1116-n.

The address table in FIG. 23 to be described later is pre-recorded inmemory 1232 in system controller α_1126 shown in FIG. 2 (and in systemcontroller β_1128 of FIG. 1) to manage unit 1290 (device 1250, orcombination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) arranged in each of sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m. FIG. 23 shows an example of the address table inwhich sensor combination modules 1460-1 to 5 and actuator combinationmodules 1470-1 and 2 shown in FIG. 8B, and devices 1250-1 to 3 shown inFIG. 8A are mixed and arranged in the same system α_1132. In the systemof the present embodiment, sensor modules 1260-1 and 2 can be in onedevice 1250-1, as shown in FIG. 8A. Different types of sensor data isobtained from sensor modules 1260-1 and 2. Thus, to acquire varioustypes of data and to estimate/determine the condition of each section1142, data of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m in which individual sensormodules 1260-1 to 5 or individual actuator module 1270-1 included indevices 1250-1 to 3 are placed is preferably managed, without managing aposition of devices 1250-1 to 3 by the address table.

In the address table of FIG. 23, the section position in which sensormodule 1260-1, actuator module 1270-1, actuator combination module1470-2, and sensor combination module 1460-5 are arranged iscollectively described in the row of the section data. It is understoodfrom this that sensor module 1260-1 is arranged in section 2_1142-2. Inthe system of the present embodiment, various combination modules 1460and 470, each sensor module 1260 and each actuator module 1270 which arearranged in each section 1142 are managed in real time through thecreation and maintenance of the address table. However, no limitation isintended thereby in the system of the present embodiment, and amanagement method of any position which can be managed by systemcontroller α_1126 may be used.

Different systems (client systems) can be present at the same time inthe system of the present embodiment. Combination of the above, a resultcomprising also content described in FIG. 2, and the address table (FIG.23) produces the client system (system α_1132) which is a complex clientsystem (corresponding to domain 2_1122-2 in FIG. 1) comprising aplurality of client systems α_1132 (client system α_1126 and clientsystem β_1134) comprising unit 1290 which is connectable to an externalcloud (server n_1116-n) and comprises a function (by communicationmodule 1660 in FIG. 4A) of communicating uniquely acquired or createddata, and system controller α_1126 configured to acquire and manage thedata from unit 1290, and can transmit the uniquely acquired or createddata to system controller α_1126, wherein system controller α_1126configured to manage client system α_1132 included in the complex clientsystem (domain 2_1122-2) partitions a plurality of units 1290-1 to -7into sections (section 1_1142-1, section 2_1142-1, and section m_1142-min FIG. 2), manages them, and holds data (address table in FIG. 23)concerning the sections to which each of the units belongs.

Next, FIG. 22 shows methods of creating and maintaining the addressable.In Step 101, sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m in the same system_1132 aredefined. In the system of the present embodiment, the sections aredefined first (Step 101), then positional data is set or managed foreach section 1142 based on the definition (Step 102 or 103). Managingpositions of various modules and devices in accordance with a sectiondivision state first defined in this manner produces an advantage that astate is easily estimated or determined for each section in real time.In addition, another advantage that positions of various modules ordevices are easily managed is produced.

As described later in, especially, Section 5.2.3, different sectiondefinition methods can be present in the same area in the socialinfrastructure sector. That is, in the example of FIG. 35, a pluralityof definition methods such as a method of dividing section 1142 along awater pipe, and a method of dividing section 1142 along a path of powersupply lines can be present, instead of setting each section 1142 basedon an address on a map. Thus, in the social infrastructure sector, themethod of dividing section 1142 is preferably defined uniquely for eachintended purpose based on any standard data such as map data.

Conversely, in the consumer sector, a section may be automaticallydefined, as in a room assignment in a house, in accordance with thedefinition of the user as a definition method of section 1142. Forexample, the user makes a video inside his house with a video camera (orcamera-equipped smartphone, tablet, or mobile phone) with a GPSfunction, and section 1142 is automatically defined as shown in FIG. 24by automatically analyzing the video. In the above example, the userspecifies the definition method of section 1142. However, no limitationis intended thereby in the present embodiment, and, for example,division of section 1142 may be predefined by room assignment bydefault. The default setting reduces the burden of the user in Step 101.Alternatively, the user may partially modify the section division methodusing the user interface 1234 in system controller α_1126 of FIG. 8A,after the section is automatically divided in accordance with thedefault section division method. Alternatively, central positional dataof an individual room may be input using the GPS function to analyze theinput result and automatically define a section. As well as the abovemethod, physical spatial positional data of sections 1_1142-1 tom_1142-m may be obtained by any method in the present embodiment. Forexample, the above method requires any assistance of the user to definea section. However, physical spatial positional data of sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m may be obtained without any assistance of the user.As an example of the specific method, room assignment and positionaldata may be measured, while a robot cleaner with a camera and a GPSfunction cleans rooms (section 1142) in a predetermined house. Thismethod allows the physical spatial positional data of sections 1_1142-1to m_1142-m to be easily obtained without any assistance of the user.

Further, as another applied example of the present embodiment, thesection may be automatically defined using data obtained from variousunits 1290 (combination modules 1295, 1460 and 1470, and device 1250)without defining the section first (Step 101). That is, at least part ofvarious combination modules 1460 and 1470, and various devices 1250which are arranged in system α_1132 are operated first, and then,section 1142 is divided. The user is not conscious of the sectiondefinition in the same system (Step 101) reducing a psychological burdenof the user. The method is specifically described below. As will bedescribed later, system controller α_1126 can ascertain positional dataof various combination modules 1460 and 1470, and various devices 1250in real time by initialization (Step 102) or automatic tracking of amoving position (Step 103). Further, as described in Section 4.1 withreference to FIG. 25A, when the user moves and the state in section2_1142-2 changes, state change related data is obtained as a result ofsynchronization of combination modules 1460 and 1470 and devices 1250arranged in it. Thus, relevance of the positions of various combinationmodules 1460 and 1470 and various devices 1250 can be expected bysynchronism of change of data (such as sense data or state settingcontrol data) obtained from units 1290 (combination modules 1295, 1460and 1470, and devices 1250) arranged in system α_1132. A positionrelationship of units 1290 (combination modules 1295, 1460 and 1470, anddevices 1250) arranged in the same section 1142 can beestimated/determined with accuracy by repeating the synchronismdetection with time a plurality of times. System controller α_1126enters the estimation/determination result in a section data field inthe address table of FIG. 23.

Then, an initialization method (check-in method) of various units 1290(combination modules 1295, 1460 and 1470, and devices 1250)corresponding to Step 102 in FIG. 22 is described. Sensor combinationmodule 1460 of FIG. 5 may comprise the near-field communication module1560 compatible with near-field radio such as TransferJet of theproximity radio transfer technique and FeliCa (coined word consisting ofFelicity and Card) conforming to the contactless IC card standard.Although it is not shown, actuator combination module 1670 and device1250 may comprise a similar near-field communication module 1560.Communication with the near-field communication module 1560 may beperformed by moving a portable external device with the GPS function(not shown) close at the time of initialization in system α_1132 whencombination module 1460 or 1470, or device 1250 according to oneembodiment in the system of the present embodiment is newly placed. Theportable external device comprises communication module 1202 which cancommunicate data with system controller α_1126 through the in-systemnetwork line 1782 (refer to description in Section 2.1 with reference toFIG. 10A), along with the near-field communication module 1560compatible with the near-field radio. System controller α_1126automatically registers the IP address data IPADRS of new combinationmodule 1460 or 1470, or device 1250 (to be initialized) (refer todescription in Section 2.4 with reference to FIG. 13 for details) at thetime of initialization. When the near-field communication is performed,each of (1) the newly registered IP address data IPADRS, (2) the IPaddress data IPADRS on the side of system controller α_1126, (3) theidentification data PANID specific to PAN of a position of the currentportable external device (refer to description in Section 2.3 withreference to FIG. 12A), (4) the identification data PANID specific toPAN corresponding to a position where system controller α_1126 isplaced, and (5) the IEEE extended address EXADRS of system controllerα_1126 is transmitted from system controller α_1126 to new combinationmodule 1460 or 1470, or device 1250. Further, (6) the IEEE extendedaddress EXADRS of its own is transmitted from new combination module1460 or 1470, or device 1250 (to be initialized) to system controllerα_1126 using the near-field communication. As described above, datacommunication with the in-system network line 1782 is prepared byexchanging data between both of them using means such as the near-fieldcommunication at the time of initialization (Step 102). Although thenear-field communications used as an example of the data exchange methodat the time of initialization, data may be exchanged in other ways atthe time of initialization. Alternatively, provisional communication isfirst performed on the in-system network line 1782 using a provisionaladdress, and a regular address may be exchanged, as will be describedlater as another initialization method. The portable external devicewith the GPS function may be moved close instead of the near-fieldcommunication. System controller α_1126 automatically recognizes the GPSpositional data obtained from the portable external device as positionaldata of corresponding unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470,or device 1250) at this moment. System controller α_1126 compares theGPS data with GPS range data for each of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-mobtained in advance at the time of section definition in Step 101. Itautomatically estimates/determines, based on the result of thecomparison, which of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m comprises newlyarranged unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device1250), and registers the result in a specific portion in the addresstable of FIG. 23. Further, it displays the result in the user interface1234 of FIG. 8A to inform the user, causes him to confirm whether it iscorrect, and, if necessary, causes him to register correction.

In the above embodiment, an operation by the user is required forinitializing unit 1290 (device 1250 or combination module 1295) (Step102). However, no limitation is intended thereby in the presentembodiment, and the initialization (Step 102) may be automaticallyperformed. Its specific example is described. In the present embodiment,the user can estimate movement of the position of unit 1290 (combinationmodule 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) halfway, and automatictracking of unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device1250) can be performed as in Step 103. The method to be described laterin Section 4.4 is used for the automatic tracking. Thus, systemcontroller α_1126 monitors the position of unit 1290 (combination module1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) to be initialized using theautomatic tracking technique at the time of initialization. The obtainedpositional data is compared with the GPS range data for each of sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m, and section 1142 corresponding to unit 1290 to benewly set (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) isautomatically estimated/determined to register it in the address tableof FIG. 23.

If unit 1290 to be initialized (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470,or device 1250) first performs provisional communication on thein-system network line 1782, each of data storage areas of α) the sourcePAN identifier SPANID, β) the destination PAN identifier DPANID, and γ)the destination IEEE extension address DEXADRS in FIG. 12A (e) (refer toSection 2.3 for details), and δ) the source IP address data SIPADRS, andε) the destination IP address DIPADRS in FIG. 13 (b) (Section 2.4) maybe blanked, or a default value preset by Z-format (refer to Section 2.1)may be stored in each area. The data communication from systemcontroller α_1126 to unit 1290 (combination module 1295,1460 or 1470, ordevice 1250) to be initialized can be started using this default value(or blank state) upon receipt of the first provisional communicationfrom unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250)to be initialized as described above. Then, α) the source PAN identifierSPANID to be initialized, and δ) the IP address data SIPADRS to beinitialized, which are described above, of the communication datatransmitted from system controller α_1126 may be stored in thecommunication middleware data APLDT storage area (refer to descriptionin Section 2.2 with reference to FIG. 11) and be transmitted. Since itis understood, even in this case, that unit 1290 (combination module1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) to be initialized is arranged insystem α_1132, the risk that the initialization is erroneously performedin another domain 1122 is eliminated. The above method does not involvethe user at the time of initialization, producing an advantage ofautomatically performing the initialization operation without placingburden on the user.

The position of an object to be initialized is detected at the time ofinitialization in the present embodiment as described above. It can beconfirmed that it is arranged in corresponding system α_1132 in systemcontroller α_1126, and domain 2_1122-2 related to it, producing anadvantage of eliminating the risk of erroneously initializing(registering) the object to be initialized in another domain 1_1122-1 oranother system β_1134. Further, the assistance of the user is notrequired depending on the initialization method, and human errors areprevented, producing an advantage of improving reliability of theinitialization processing, as well as an advantage of being lesstroublesome for the user. Further, in the present embodiment, a sectionbelonging state of the object to be initialized can also be defined atthe time of initialization. This produces an advantage that services canbe offered by the unit of the section using the object to beinitialized, even immediately after the initialization.

The processing of enabling newly purchased unit 1290 (combination module1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) in domain 2_1122-2 is defined asinitialization, which may also be called “check-in”. The processing oftemporarily taking unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, ordevice 1250) outside domain 2_1142-2 after the initialization,reentering the same domain 2_1142-2, and restoring it to be in a statewhere network communication is possible in system α_1132 or systemβ_1134 may be defined as plug-in.

Such unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250)to be plugged in detects data of δ) the preset IP address data SIPADRSon the side of plug-in, and ε) the IP address data DIPADRS concerningany of system controllers α_1126 and β_1128 belonging to the same domain2_1122-2, the IP address data DIPADRS being set in a system controllerof the other party. Thus, as described in Section 2.1 with reference toFIG. 10A, the network communication can be performed in principlewherever unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device1250) to be plugged in is in the world, as long as Internet Protocolversion 6 IPv6 is used for the network communication.

Thus, in the system of the present embodiment, automatic plug-inprocessing may be performed depending on whether unit 1290 (combinationmodule 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) to be plugged in is arrangedin a physical area defined by any of systems α_1132 and β_1134 belongingto the same domain 2_1122-2. Specifically, systems α_1132 and β_1134examine the position of unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or1470, or device 1250) to be plugged in by the same method as theinitialization. That is, system controllers α_1132 and β_1134 alwaysmonitor a data communication situation on the in-system network line1782 (refer to description in Section 2.1 with reference to FIGS. 10Aand 16), and always continue to confirm that there is no datacommunication from other than unit 1290 ([sensor module 1260 or actuatormodule 1270 in] device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470)registered in the address table of FIG. 23. When finding datacommunication from other than unit 1290 ([sensor module 1260 or actuatormodule 1270 in] device 1250 or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470)registered in the address table of FIG. 23, they confirm content of thesource IP address data SIPADRS. If the source IP address data SIPADRS isdata which is previously used in systems α_1132 and β_1134, they startthe plug-in processing. If the source IP address data SIPADRS is dataother than that previously used in systems α_1132 and β_1134, they startthe initialization processing. That is, system controllers α_1126 andβ_1128 always manage the position of unit 1290 ([sensor module 1260 oractuator module 1270 in] device 1250 or combination module 1295, 1460 or1470) in systems α_1132 and β_1134. They automatically detect that unit1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) to beplugged in enters a physical area defined by any of systems α_1132 andβ_1134 belonging to the same domain 2_1122-2, and automatically performsthe plug-in processing. They may cause the user to confirm whetherplug-in is possible using the user interface 1234 during the plug-inprocessing. Then, they add data relevant to plugged-in unit 1290(combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) to the addresstable of FIG. 23 in the final stage of the plug-in processing. Asdescribed above, since system controllers α_1126 and β_1128automatically starts the plug-in processing in accordance with theposition of the object to be plugged in, no manual procedures by theuser are necessary. This produces an advantage that the plug-inprocessing can be very easily performed without placing a burden on theuser.

From the perspective of system 1126 (client system) described in Chapter1, the client system (system α_1126) in the system of the presentembodiment comprises unit 1290 comprising a function of acquiring orcreating data for communication, and system controller α_1126 configuredto acquire and manage the data from the unit, wherein system controllerα_1126 partitions each of a plurality of units 1290 into sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m, manages it, holds data (address table of FIG. 23)concerning sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m to which each unit 1290belongs, and holds data (FIG. 21D) concerning the unit, and wherein whenregistering a new unit different from unit 1290 already registered inthe data (address table of FIG. 23) concerning sections 1_1142-1 tom_1142-m to which each unit 1290 belongs, it (1) pre-checks whether thenew unit necessary to be newly registered is already registered in thedata (address table of FIG. 23), (2) confirms that the new unit is notregistered in the data (address table of FIG. 23), (3) registers the newunion the data (address table of FIG. 23), (4) checks which of sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m the new unit belongs to, and (5) adds to the data(address table of FIG. 23) concerning a section to which the new unitbelongs.

Further, it comprises data concerning a first section (that is, data ofunit 1290 belonging to the first section) and data concerning a secondsection (that is, data of unit 1290 belonging to the second section),especially, with respect to the plurality of units 1290 agile addresstable.

Further, the data is recorded as time-series data with respect to theaddress table.

As described above, the position of an object can be detected and theplug-in can be performed, especially, in the present embodiment.Moreover, when the plug-in is performed, a section belonging state ofthe object is also defined. The advantage obtained thereby correspondsto the advantage at the time of initialization.

Whether the plug-in processing corresponding to the present embodimentis performed can be easily determined by decoding change of content inthe address table (FIG. 23) (stored in memory 1232 in system controllerα_1126 shown in FIG. 2) managed by system controller α_1126.

As another confirmation method, change of communication data transmittedfrom unit 1290 to be newly registered when unit 1290 (combination module1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) to be newly registered is moved fromthe outside of system α_1132 to the inside of system α_1132 may beexamined. That is, for example, unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460or 1470, or device 1250) is first arranged in another domain 1_1122-1.Then, an address different from the destination IP address DIPADRScorresponding to system α_1132 is stored in the destination IP addressDIPADRS (FIG. 13 (b), Section 2.4) in the communication data transmittedfrom unit 1290 to be newly registered arranged in domain 1_1122-1.Similarly, data different from that of system α_1132 is stored also in adestination address (FIGS. 10A, 16 and 11, Section 2.2) which is set inmedia access layers MAC02 and MAC06. Then, unit 1290 to be newlyregistered (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) ismoved in system α_1132, and the corresponding address after the plug-inprocessing is confirmed. The destination IP address DIPADRS in thecommunication data transmitted from unit 1290 to be newly registered(combination module 1295,1460 or 1470, or device 1250) after thecompletion of the plug-in processing corresponds to system α_1132 (orsystem controller β_1128 in the system of FIG. 9). Further, thedestination address set in media access layers MAC02 and MAC06 (forexample, the destination PAN identifier DPANID, and the destination IEEEextension address DEXADRS of FIG. 12A (e) related to Section 2.3) alsocorresponds to system α_1132 (or system controller β1128 in the systemof FIG. 9).

Change of address data in communication data during the plug-inprocessing is described below for reference. First, the descriptionstarts from a situation immediately after the position of unit 1290 tobe newly registered (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device1250) pre-connected to a network in another domain 1_1122-1 is moved. Ifunit 1290 to be newly registered is device 1250-1, the GPS function isincluded in unit 1290 to be newly registered. Thus, device 1250 canrecognize movement of the position. If unit 1290 to be newly registeredis arranged in system α_1132 (before current plug-in processing), anaddress set in the IP address data IPADRS and media access layers MAC02and MAC06 in system controller α is stored in memory 1242 incorresponding device 1250-1. Thus, corresponding device 1250-1 performsdata communication with system controller α using the data.Incidentally, the source IP address data SIPADRS and the destination IPaddress DIPADRS shown in FIG. 13 (b) are hereinafter collectively calledsimply IP address data IPADRS. Similarly, the destination IEEE extensionaddress DEXADRS and the source IEEE extension address SEXADRS shown inFIG. 12A (e) are collectively called an IEEE extended address EXADRS.

Conversely, if corresponding device 1250-1 is not previously arranged insystem α_1132, an address area set in media access layers MAC02 andMAC06 such as the source IP address data SIPADRS and the source IEEEextension address SEXADRS is blanked. Alternatively, predetermined dummydata is stored, and data is communicated in system α_1132 to urge systemcontroller α_1126 to perform the initialization processing (Step 102 inFIG. 22).

If unit 1290 to be newly registered is combination module 1295, 1460 or1470, it does not comprise the GPS function basically. Thus, in thiscase, unit 1290 to be newly registered (combination module 1295, 1460 or1470) does not detect that the position is moved. Thus, unit 1290 to benewly registered (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) transmits, insystem α_1132, communication data similar to that when it is arranged inanother domain 1_1122-1, even after the position is moved.

System controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128) always monitorscommunication data in system α_1132. Thus, when detecting thatunexpected address data set in media access layers MAC02 and MAC06 suchas the IP address data IPADRS and the IEEE extended address EXADRS isstored in the physical layer frame PPDU (FIG. 11 (f)) communicated onthe in-system network line 1782 (FIGS. 10A and 16), it confirms theposition of the transmission source of the physical layer frame PPDU bya method to be described in Section 4.4 (with FIGS. 31 to 34). If theposition of the transmission source which is an object is in an area ofsystem controller α_1126 (based on the section definition result in Step101 of FIG. 22), it starts the initialization processing (Step 102) orthe plug-in processing.

In both of the initialization and plug-in processing, data iscommunicated (transmitted) from system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128) to unit 1290 to be newly registered (combinationmodule 1295, 1460 or 1470) using a source address (source IEEE extensionaddress SEXADRS, etc.) set in media access layers MAC02 and MAC06, andstored in the physical layer frame PPDU. Receiving the data, unit 1290to be newly registered on the reception side (combination module1295,1460 or 1470) detects the IP address IPADRS of system controllerα_1126 (or system controller β_1128) and a destination address in mediaaccess layers MAC02 and MAC06 (and the IP address IPADRS set at the timeof initialization).

In the next step, unit 1290 to be newly registered (to beinitialized/plugged in) (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, ordevice 1250-1) performs transmission to system controller α_1126 (orsystem controller β_1128) using the received data. As a result, unit1290 to be initialized/plugged in (combination module 1295, 1460 or1470, or device 1250-1) can confirm that correct address data has beenacquired. Then, system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128)performs regular registration processing in the address table of FIG.23, after confirming the content of the communication data transmittedfrom unit 1290 to be newly registered (to be initialized/plugged in)(combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250-1), andconfirming that the initialization or plug-in processing has beencorrectly performed.

As described in Section 1.8 with reference to FIG. 8B, combinationmodule 1295 such as sensor combination module 1460-5 can beindependently present in the present embodiment. Alternatively, it maybe inserted into or mixed in a specific product or component. Thus,combination module 1295 can be carried and moved by the user. Specificcombination module 1295, 1460 or 1470 (or device 1250) carried by theuser can also be moved between sections 1142 after initialization. Thatis, a section to which the current position after movement belongs as inStep 104 of FIG. 22 can be repeatedly calculated by automaticallytracking the movement position of combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470(or device 1250), as in Step 103 of FIG. 22, which can be moved togetherwith the user, and can be present independently, or inserted into ormixed in a product or component. State ascertaining accuracy for each ofsections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m is improved by acquiring sense data andstate data from combination modules 1460 and 1470 and device 1250 foreach of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m based on the latest positionaldata to offer services to the user (Step 105), producing an advantage ofimproving user satisfaction.

Next, a method of automatically tracking a movement position of unit1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) describedin Step 103 of FIG. 22 is described in detail. In step 103, a techniqueof detecting a position of a transmission source of a radio wavetransmitted from unit 1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295,1460 or 1470) which is an object may be used as described later inSection 4.4. That is, if radio is used as a physical medium(communication medium) of the network line 1782 (FIG. 10A or 16) insystem α_1132, a radio wave is transmitted from unit 1290 (device 1250,or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470), and data is communicated tosystem controller α_1126. Which unit 1290 (device 1250, or combinationmodule 1295, 1460 or 1470) in system α_1132 the radio wave istransmitted from can be determined in real time for each of the physicallayer frames PPDU (FIG. 11) by analyzing communication data in systemcontroller α_1126 (for example, by extracting the source IP address dataand the source IEEE extension address SEXADRS in FIG. 13 (b) andreferring to the address table of FIG. 23 as will be described later).At the same time, physical positional data of the transmission source ofthe radio wave can be obtained for each of the physical layer framesPPDU in real time using the position detection technique of thetransmission source of the radio wave to be described in Section 4.4.When both the data is compared with each other for each of the physicallayer frames PPDU, physical positional data is identified for each unit1290 (each device 1250 or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470).

In this manner, system controller α_1126 identifies sections 1_1142-1 tom_1142-m to which individual units 1290 (device 1250, and combinationmodules 1295, 1460 and 1470) belong (arranged therein) (in the samemanner as the above initialization) every time it receives the physicallayer frame PPDU. The result of identification is compared with contentof the address table of FIG. 23 one by one. If they are not differentfrom each other as a result of the comparison, it is considered thatnone of corresponding device 1250 and combination modules 1460 and 1470has moved beyond section 1142, and the address table is not rewritten.Conversely, if they are different from each other as a result of thecomparison, it is considered that specific device 1250 or specificcombination module 1460 or 1470 has moved beyond section 1142, and theaddress table is rewritten, then the processing may proceed to Step 104.As described above, data (such as an address table) related to section1142 is included in the present embodiment. Whether movement beyondsection 1142 is present is determined using the data related to section1142 in the movement position automatic tracking step (Step 103) of unit1290 (device or combination module). In Step 103, to perform positionmanagement for each of units 1290 (device 1250, and combination modules1295, 1460 and 1470) by the unit of section 1142, even if, for example,unit 1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470)slightly moves in the same section 1142, it is considered that it hasnot moved beyond section 1142, and predetermined processing such asrewriting of the address table is not performed. This produces anadvantage of effectively acquiring data and offering service to theuser. To describe this advantage, the method is compared with a methodof successively performing feedback in response to slight movement ofunit 1290 (device or combination module). For example, if the user wearsa specific portable combination module, the frequently moves in the samesection 1142. If the feedback processing (such as update of the addresstable or shift processing to Step 104) is performed every time the userslightly moves, the processing in system controller α_1126 will be verycomplicated. Conversely, even if unit 1290 (device or combinationmodule) slightly moves in the same section 1142, content of obtainedsensor data does not often change, as described in Section 4.1 withreference to FIG. 25A. Further, services are often offered to the userby the unit of section 1142, as described with reference to FIG. 25B.Thus, even if the feedback is performed every time the user slightlymoves, the quality of services offered to the user is not improved much.

If unit 1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470)moves beyond section 1142 as a result of automatic tracking of themovement position of unit 1290 (device or combination module) in Step103 of FIG. 22, the processing proceeds to Step 104. Thus, if it doesnot move beyond section 1142, Step 104 may be omitted and the processingmay proceed to Step 105. The processing of calculating a sectioncomprising a current position of unit 1290 (device or combinationmodule) which has moved in Step 104 specifically means the processing ofcorrecting the address table, and the processing of rearranging units1290 (device 1250, and combination modules 1295, 1460 and 1470) arrangedfor each of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m in system controller α_1126.

The address table is corrected only in a predetermined frame (cell), andrearrangement by the unit of vertical row is not performed. To increaseefficiency of state management and sensor data acquisition in sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m, the address table is copied in a temporary storagearea in processor 1230 of system controller α_1126, and the processingof rearranging units 1290 (device 1250, and combination modules1295,1460 and 1470) arranged for each of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m(rearrangement by the unit of vertical row) is performed.

Further, in Step 105 of FIG. 22, sensor/state data is acquired from unit1290 (device or combination module) which is an object, or services areoffered to the user for each of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m.Specifically, the method described in Section 4.2 with reference toFIGS. 26A to 30 is used.

Then, automatic tracking of the movement position of unit 1290 (deviceor combination module) is properly performed (Step 103), and the seriesof processing are repeated.

In the system of the present embodiment, “plug-out” processing may beautomatically performed on specific unit 1290 (device 1250, orcombination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) using the automatic tracking ofthe movement position. That is, if unit 1290 (device 1250, orcombination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) which is outside the range of aphysical area of each of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m defined in Step101 is detected, it is considered that unit 1290 is no longer an objectto be managed by network communication system α_1132, and acorresponding item (the whole corresponding vertical row) isprovisionally deleted from the address table. The data of the IP addressIPADRS and the IEEE extended address EXADRS of unit 1290 (device 1250 orcombination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) which is provisionally deleted isrecorded in memory 1232 (in system controller α_1126 in FIG. 8A) toflexibly handle re-plug-in processing which will be performed later.Inquiry concerning whether the plug-out processing should be performedmay be displayed to the user in the user interface 1234 (in systemcontroller α_1126 of FIG. 8A) immediately before the plug-out processingis performed.

From the perspective of system α_1132 (client system), a client system,which is the system of the present embodiment, comprises unit 1290comprising a function of acquiring or creating data for communication,and system controller α_1126 configured to acquire and manage the datafrom unit 1290, wherein system controller α_1126 partitions each of aplurality of units 1290 into sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m, managesthem, holds data (address table of FIG. 23) concerning the section towhich each unit belongs, and holds data (FIG. 21D) concerning the unit.If the data cannot be reacquired from the unit, system controller α_1126is temporarily removed from an object of management of the data (addresstable of FIG. 23) concerning the section to which each unit belongs.

Further, in the re-plug-in processing, if the data canoe reacquired fromthe unit in addition to the above, system controller α_1126 is themanagement object of the data (address table of FIG. 23) concerning thesection to which each unit belongs.

Further, regarding also the plug-out processing, the address tablecomprises the data concerning the first section (that is, data of unit1290 belonging to the first section) and the data concerning the secondsection (that is, data of unit 1290 belonging to the second section)with respect to the plurality of units 1290.

Further, regarding the plug-out processing, the data is recorded in theaddress table as time-series data.

Whether the plug-out processing can be executed is understood byexamining a communication history from system controller α_1126 (orsystem controller β_1128) after unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460or 1470, or device 1250) pre-arranged in system α_1132 is moved to theoutside of system α_1132. That is, if the plug-out processing isperformed, the communication history does not comprise datacommunication from system controller α_1126 (or system controllerβ_1128) to unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device1250) a predetermined period after unit 1290 (combination module 1295,1460 or 1470, or device 1250) is moved to the outside of system α_1132.

That is, system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128)configured to manage, operate and control network communication systemα_1132 monitors the position of the transmission source by the unit ofthe physical layer frame PPDU of FIG. 11 (f) with respect to thecommunication data on the in-system network line 1782. If the physicallayer frame PPDU is transmitted from the outside of system α_1132,corresponding unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, ordevice 1250) is deleted from the address table of FIG. 23 immediatelyafter (it is confirmed with the user), and the plug-out processing ends.Once the plug-out processing ends, no data is communicated from systemcontroller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128) to corresponding unit1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) until theplug-in processing is re-performed.

System controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128) does notsometimes recognize that specific unit 1290 (combination module 1295,1460 or 1470, or device 1250) has moved to the outside of systemcontroller α_1126 in terms of timing. In this case, data is communicatedfrom system controller α_1126 (or system controller β1128) tocorresponding unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, ordevice 1250). However, in this case, a response to system controllerα_1126 (or system controller β_1128) is not received. If no response isreceived, data is re-communicated. If no response is received for thesecond time in a row, a corresponding portion in the address table ofFIG. 23 is deleted, and the plug-out processing ends. Inquiry to theuser may be made through the user interface 1234 (FIGS. 8A and 8B) insystem controller α_1126 during the plug-out processing.

If a time required from when specific unit 1290 (combination module1295, 1460 or 1470, or device 1250) is moved to the outside of systemcontroller α_1126 and to when the plug-out processing is completed istoo long, the accuracy of estimation/determination of action/request ofsystem α_1132 or the user is decreased as will be described in Section4.3. An ordinary user accepts a delay of approximately five to tenminutes regarding a delay in a service offering corresponding to a statechange. A patient user accepts a delay of approximately 15 minutes.However, if the delay exceeds an hour, almost all users feeldissatisfied. Thus, in the system of the present embodiment, the timerequired from when specific unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or1470, or device 1250) is moved to the outside of system controllerα_1126 to when the plug-out processing is completed is less than orequal to 15 minutes, preferably, less than or equal to five minutes. Thetime is less than or equal to an hour at the longest for the abovereason.

As described above, unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470, ordevice 1250) outside the physical range of system α_1132 is plugged out.Using the position of unit 1290 (combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470,or device 1250) for the plug-out determination in this manner producesan advantage of keeping high reliability and of providing an easyplug-in operation without placing a burden on the user. That is, ifradio is used for a physical communication medium (communication media)of the in-system network line 1782 (FIG. 16), a personal informationprotection function may be deteriorated by the line erroneously crossedwith a network communication line in adjacent domain 1122. To avoid suchrisk, complicated initialization processing or plug-in/plug-outprocessing is necessary for the user. Conversely, as described above theinitialization processing or plug-in/plug-out processing can beperformed without placing a burden on the user using automaticallydetected positional data, producing another advantage of avoiding thecrossed line with the adjacent network communication line, of ensuringsecurity, and of securing the personal information protection function.

Although system controller α_1126 arranged in system α_1132 performs theseries of processing as shown in FIG. 22 in the above description, nolimitation is intended thereby. System controller β_1128 or servern_1116-n arranged outside system α_1132 on spatial arrangement mayperform the operation of FIG. 22 using, for example, the form in whichFIGS. 8A and 8B are mixed, which is described in Section 1.8.

Section 4.3 Processing Method from Data Acquisition to Service Offeringfor Each Section

In Section 4.3, specific processing from acquisition of sensor/statedata to service offering to the user, which is related to Step 105 inFIG. 22 is described. From the perspective of, especially, system α_1132(client system), in Section 4.3, a client system, which is the system ofthe present embodiment, comprises unit 1290 comprising a function ofacquiring or creating data for communication, and system controllerα_1126 configured to acquire and manage the data from the unit, whereinsystem controller α_1126 partitions each of a plurality of units 1290into sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m, manages it, and holds data (addresstable of FIG. 23) concerning the section to which each unit belongs.State change data from one unit 1290 is communicated to systemcontroller α_1126, and other units 1290 in the same section 1142 arecontrolled based on the state change data. Further, system controllerα_1126 controls the other units in the same section using the statechange for each predetermined time from one unit 1290.

Alternatively, from the perspective of the relationship with servern_1116-n (cloud) shown in FIG. 1, system controller α_1126 is connectedto an external cloud (server n_1116-n) as a client/server system, andsystem controller α_1126 communicates the state change from one unit1290 to system controller α_1126, and transmits it to the cloud (servern_1116-n). Other units 1290 in the same section are controlled based ondata from the cloud (server n_1116-n).

That is, as described in Section 4.3, services are offered based on aplurality of acquired data items. For example, since the accuracy ofestimation/determination of a current state or action or a request ofthe user is decreased if the services are offered based on merely anacquired single data item, the services satisfying the user are hard tooffer. However, as described herein, the accuracy ofestimation/determination increases using the plurality of data items,producing an advantage of improving the user satisfaction by theservices offered.

Further, state change control (change of setting condition) is carriedout a plurality of times in cooperation during service offering. Whenthe state change control (change of setting condition) is performed aplurality of times in the same system α_1132 as a service offering formcorresponding to action or a request of the user, a detailed changestate can be offered to the user, producing an advantage of improvinguser satisfaction.

FIG. 26A shows the processing in system controller α_1126 fromacquisition of various data from system α_1132 to service offering. Theprocessing of FIG. 26A is premised on the system of the embodiment shownin FIG. 2, 8A or 8B. Alternatively, system controller β_1128 arrangedoutside system α_1132 as shown in FIG. 9 may acquire data or offerservices. In this case, system controller α_1126 needs to be replacedwith system controller β_1128 in the following description.

First, upon receipt of a service execution request from server n_1116-nor system controller β_1128 (Step 110), system controller α_1126 startsdata acquisition from system α_1132 (Step 111). The data to be acquiredcomprises not only sensor data from sensor combination module 1460, butalso sensor data from various sensor modules 1260 in device 1250,current setting condition data in actuator combination module 1470, andcurrent setting condition data for (mainly actuator module 1270 in)device 1250. Moreover, system controller α_1126 may acquire data fromserver n_1116-n or system controller β_1128 as shown in Step 112. When aseries of data acquisition ends in this manner, all the data acquired insystem controller α_1126 is integrated and arranged, and necessary datais stored in internal memory 1232 (Step 113).

In the next step, the state in the same system α_1132 is estimated anddetermined (Step 114). Further, current action of the user is estimatedand determined based on the estimated/determined state (Step 115). Whenthe state is estimated/determined in Step 114, or when the currentaction of the user is estimated/determined in Step 115, the state of theindividual user such as the height of the user and a color of clothes oraccessories of the user is also estimated/determined. Sensitivitysetting of a touchpad or a capacitive button is cited as an example inwhich the estimation/determination result of the state of the useraffects service offering to the user (Step 119). A stable user input ispossible, for example, for a large man having thick finger seven ifsensitivity of a touchpad or a capacitive button is low. Conversely, theinput is not sometimes possible for a child or a woman having thinfingers unless the sensitivity of the touchpad or capacitive button isincreased. Thus, an estimation/determination result of the user stateaffects service offering to the user. To change sensitivity setting ofthe touchpad or capacitive button after the finger thickness of the useris estimated/determined, the communication data described in Section 2.5needs to be changed.

Action prediction of the user (Step 116) and estimation/prediction of arequest of the user (Step 117) are performed based on the result ofestimation/determination of a state in system α_1132 (Step 114) and theresult of estimation/determination of current action of the user (Step115).

Then, results of the series of estimation/prediction are displayed inthe user interface 1234 (FIGS. 8A and 8B), and inquiry and confirmationto the user are made (Step 118). If the results of the series ofestimation/prediction are incorrect, the processing returns to theestimation/prediction in system α_1132 of Step 114. If the confirmationcontent to the user is correct, services are offered to the user in Step119. The series of processing up to the service offering to the user areproperly repeated. The service offering is indicated to server n_1116-nor system controller β_1128 at necessary timing (Step 109).

A plurality of data items acquired in Step 111 or 112 are used invarious estimation/determination processing executed in Steps 114 to 117of FIG. 26A. The estimation/determination accuracy is increased usingthe plurality of data items in comparison with the case where only asingle data item is used, which is an advantage. This situation isdescribed in detail with reference to FIG. 26B.

If a state changes or the user acts in system α_1132, a situation whereany of units 1290 (device 1250, and combination modules 1295, 1460 and1470) moves across section 1142, or a situation where various dataobtained from units 1290 (device 1250, and combination modules 1295,1460and 1470) changes often occurs. Thus, if only corresponding section 1142is selected in system α_1132, and the series of estimation/determinationprocessing are performed only in section 1142, the processing efficiencyincreases in system controller α_1126. The processing of finding section1142 in which any of the two situations occurs corresponds to Step 120in FIG. 26B. An operation of extracting units 1290 (device 1250, andcombination modules 1295, 1460 and 1470) arranged in correspondingsection 1142 corresponds to Step 121. In Step 121, the address table ofFIG. 23 is used.

Data is acquired from sensor module 1260, actuator module 1270, sensorcombination module 1460 and actuator combination module 1470 describedin this address table to a plurality of modules arranged in the samesection 1142. As a specific example, response requests (requests) 1872are transmitted from system controller α_1126 to a plurality of objectmodules, and corresponding responses 1874 are obtained, as shown in case2 of FIG. 10B.

As a method of offering services to the user shown, especially, in FIG.26B, a state not adaptive to the estimation/determination resultperformed for each of corresponding sections 1142 is automaticallyextracted, and adaptation processing is performed by performing statechange control or setting condition change instructions on thenon-adaptive portion. One example of the service offering methodsdescribed below. For example, when the user turns off a light and atelevision in a room and attempts to go out, the state where anair-conditioner in the room is in operation is automatically extractedas a non-adaptive state, and the operation state of the air-conditioneris automatically controlled as the adaptive processing. It is especiallyimportant that only the single data item of the television turned off inthe room is insufficient to estimate the next action of the user. Theaccuracy of estimation/determination is increased by further acquiringanother data item of the light turned off in the room, the data itembeing included in the same section 1142. An advantage of effectivelyoffering services to the user is produced by extracting a state notadapted to an estimated/determined result in the present embodiment asshown above.

The example of turning off the television in the room and that ofturning off the light in the room corresponds to acquisition of varioussense data and that of current state data from units 1290 (device 1250,and combination modules 1295,1460 and 1470) arranged in a specificsection (Step 122). After a plurality of data items in the same section1142 are acquired (Step 122), a state in a corresponding section isestimated/determined (Step 123), the user action is estimated/determined(Step 125), and a user request is estimated/determined (Step 127). Datanot adapted to each estimation/determination result is extracted (Steps124, 126 and 128), and a state change control method (changing method ofsetting condition) for adopting the extracted non-adaptive data to theestimation/determination result is inquired of the user (Step 129). Theinquiry to the user may be displayed in the user interface 1234 insystem controller α_1126. If it is denied by the user,estimation/determination (Steps 123, 125 and 127) is re-performed usingthe plurality of acquired data items.

When permission is obtained from the user as a result of the inquiry tothe user, the command 1852 (case 1 in FIG. 10B) is provided to actuatormodule 1270 included in a device or actuator module 1270 in actuatorcombination module 1470, and state change in corresponding section 1142is controlled (state setting is changed) to offer services the user(Step 130).

Regarding Step 120 in FIG. 26B, unit 1290 (device 1250, or combinationmodule 1295, 1460 or 1470) moving across section 1142, or data obtainedfrom unit 1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470),content of which is changed, may be extracted using the left side of thetime-series data tracking table in FIGS. 27 and 28. The time-series datatracking table is data in which a history of various data acquired bysystem controller α_1126, and a history of various types ofestimation/determination performed based on it are recorded in a listform in chronological order along an elapsed time 2310. It is added in atimely manner, and stored in memory 1232 in system controller α_1126. InFIGS. 27 and 28, various sensor data obtained from sensor modules 1260-1and 1260-2 in device 1250-1 in FIG. 8A or a state (setting value) setfor actuator module 1270-1 are all described as, for example, state A.Section numbers of sections in which device 1250-1 is arranged are alsodescribed. Sense data of sensor combination module 1460-5 obtained asbinary sense data is also described on the left side of the time-seriesdata tracking table. Further, the section numbers of the sections inwhich sensor combination module 1460-5 is arranged are also described,the section numbers being obtained by detecting a position by the methodto be described in Section 4.4.

Suppose a light detection sensor module is included in sensorcombination module 1460-5, and the user wearing sensor combinationmodule 1460-5 moves from section 2_1142-2 where a light is turned ontosection 5_1142-5 where a light is turned off. In this case, sensorcombination module 1460-5 is arranged in section 2_1142-2 at the elapsedtime 2310 of t3. Light data detected by sensor combination module 1460-5is “present”. When the user moves from t3 to t4 with respect to theelapsed time 2310, sensor combination module 1460-5 after the movementis arranged in section 5_1142-5. The light data detected at this momentchanges to “absent”. The movement across section 1142 of device 1250 orcombination module 1460 or 1470 and change of acquired data content canbe easily extracted using the time-series data tracking table in thismanner.

The estimation/determination collating table in FIGS. 27 and 28 is usedfor the estimation/determination processing performed in Steps 114 to117 of FIG. 26A and in Steps 123, 125 and 127 of FIG. 26B. First,candidates for an estimation/determination result of a state item 2320for each section 1142 such as “predetermined section being used” arepreset as state α, state β, . . . , and are sequentially described inthe horizontal row direction of this estimation/determination collatingtable. For example, a state collected from device 1250-1 as data such as“air-conditioner being in operation” and “timer setting time ofair-conditioner” is set as state A, state B, . . . , and is sequentiallydescribed in the vertical row direction of this estimation/determinationcollating table. Further, for example, sensor data detected from sensorcombination module 1460-5 configured to detect the presence of light,and a state setting value indicating a current state in actuatorcombination module 1470-2 are sequentially described in the vertical rowdirection of this estimation/determination collating table. Acorrelation coefficient value between both of them is described in acorresponding cell in this estimation/determination collating table. Forexample, if state A of “an air-conditioner being in operation”positively correlates with state α of “the predetermined section beingused” in the state item 2320, “80” is described in a corresponding cellas a correlation coefficient value. Furthermore, if data of “light beingpresent” in the same section 1142 obtained from sensor combinationmodule 1460-5 positively correlates with state α of “predeterminedsection being used” in the state item 2320, “57” is described in acorresponding cell as the correlation coefficient value. Conversely, ifthere is a negative correlation (inverse correlation), a negative valueis sometimes described in a corresponding cell as a correlationcoefficient.

During state estimation/determination in section 1142, the sum ofcorrelation coefficients of the same row is calculated for each ofstates α, β, . . . , and corresponds to a value of state probability2330. When states α, β, . . . , comprising the largest total valueindicate a state in the corresponding section 1142,estimation/determination is performed. Not an acquired single data itembut a plurality of acquired data items in the same section 1142 can beused by calculating a total value of correlation coefficient in the samerow in this manner. The use of the plurality of acquired data not onlyallows multidirectional estimation/determination, but also produces anadvantage of increasing accuracy of the estimation/determination.

Similarly, candidates for an estimation/determination result of a useraction item 2340 are preset as action α, action β, . . . , and aresequentially described in the horizontal row direction of thisestimation/determination collating table. Further, candidates for anestimation/determination result of a user request item 2360 are alsopreset as request α, request β, . . . , and are sequentially describedin the horizontal row direction of this estimation/determinationcollating table. Further, each correlation coefficient value is enteredin a corresponding cell in a manner similar to that described above.

A total value of correlation coefficients is calculated for each of rowsof actions and β and rows of requests α and β at each of t1, t2, t3, . .. , as the elapsed time 2310, and is successively entered incorresponding portions on the side of the time-series data trackingtable in FIGS. 27 and 28 as values of an action probability 2350 and arequest probability 2370.

A state in section 1142, and an action and a request of the user can beestimated/determined in real time using the time-series data trackingtable. An example of the service offering method using this time-seriesdata tracking table is described based on the examples shown in, forexample, FIGS. 27 and 28. Suppose the user carrying sensor combinationmodule 1460-5 moves from section 2_1142-2 where a light is turned on tosection 5_1142-5 where a light is turned off. In this case, since thelight in section 2_1142-2 remains turned on, a value of the stateprobability 2330 of state α indicating “corresponding section beingused” in section 2_1142-2 does not change much. Conversely, the actionprobability 2350 of action α corresponding to the movement of the userrises suddenly between t3 and t4 from 4 to 87%. As a result, it isestimated/determined that the user has moved between t3 and t4.Moreover, the request probability of request α corresponding to therequest to turn on the light in section 5_1142-5 also rises suddenlybetween t3 and t4 from 4 to 98%.

A result of estimation/determination of the user request, for example,to turn on the light in section 5_1142-5, which is shown in Step 127 ofFIG. 26B, is obtained using this time-series data tracking table. Dataindicating absence of light in section 5_1142-5 is obtained from sensorcombination module 1460-5 as data not adapted to this user request.Then, services are offered to the user in Step 130. Specifically, thecommand (issuance of command) 1852 to change setting conditions (referto FIG. 10B) is provided from system controller α_1126 to actuatorcombination module 1470-2 configured to turn on the light in section5_1142-5.

The estimation/determination of the state in each section 1142, that ofthe user action based on data acquired for each section 1142, and thatof the user request are mainly described above. Alternatively forexample, the state of the whole system α_1132 may be estimated ordetermined, or the user action or user request may be estimated ordetermined based on data acquired from the whole system α_1132.

Next, the method of offering services to the user described in Step 119of FIG. 26A or in Step 130 of FIG. 26B is described with reference toFIG. 29. First, a state change control candidate is extracted in unit1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) incorresponding section 1142 based on the result of extraction ofnon-adaptive data performed in Step 124, 126 and 128 of FIG. 26B (Step141). After inquiry to the user is made (Step 129), change of settingconditions (state change control) is sequentially executed as in Steps142 and 143.

As an example of the above, if a light is turned off in section 5_1142-5to which the user moves, an air-conditioner and a television are alsosometimes in an off state. Thus, if the non-adaptive data is extractedin Steps 124, 126 and 128 of FIG. 26B, the change of the settingconditions (state change control) needs to be performed for a pluralityof items in the same section 5_1142-5. In that case, the change of thesetting conditions (state change control) is sequentially performed forthe plurality of items, or the change of the setting conditions (statechange control) is simultaneously performed for part of the items, asshown in Steps 142 and 143 of FIG. 29. This produces an advantage ofreducing a time required for optimal environmental setting in the samesection 5_1142-5.

If the change of setting conditions (state change control) issequentially or simultaneously performed for the plurality of items inthis manner, data communication corresponding to a plurality of commands(issuance of commands) 1852 is sequentially or simultaneously performedfrom the same system controller α_1126 to a plurality of units 1290(actuator combination modules 1470 or devices 1250) as in case 1 of FIG.10B. All content of the source IP address data SIPADRS (FIG. 13 (b))conforms to a source address data in communication middleware layersAPL02 and APL06 (for example, content of source PAN identifier SPANIDand source IEEE extension address SEXADRS in FIG. 12A (e)) in eachphysical layer frame PPDU (FIG. 11 (f)) indicating communication datacorresponding to each of the commands (issuance of commands) 1852.Furthermore, part of destination date such as the destination PANidentifier DPANID in FIG. 12A (e) sometimes conforms to it.

Thus, when the change of the setting conditions (state change control)is sequentially or simultaneously performed for the plurality of items,the data communication corresponding to the commands (issuance ofcommands) 1852 is preferably collectively performed without performingother processing halfway in system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128 in system shown in FIG. 9). When the datacommunication is collectively performed in this manner, differentcommunication data items can be created by the above processing ofcopying common data. The use of the above method produces an advantageof increasing processing efficiency of system controller α_1126 (orsystem controller β_1128 in system shown in FIG. 9).

As has already been described in Section 4.2, an ordinary user accepts adelay of approximately five to ten minutes regarding a delay in aservice offering corresponding) a state change. A patient user acceptsdelay of approximately) 5 minutes. However, if the delay exceeds anhour, almost all users feel dissatisfied. Thus, if services aresequentially offered for a plurality of items in the system of thepresent embodiment, a difference in time between services continuouslyoffered is less than or equal to 15 minutes, preferably, less than orequal to five minutes. The time is less than or equal to an hour at thelongest. This produces an advantage of keeping stress of the user to aminimum.

The service offering for each section 1142 is mainly described above.Alternatively, for example, services may be collectively offered in thewhole system α_1132.

The service offering method has been described based on the example inwhich the user carrying sensor combination module 1460-5 moves fromsection 2_1142-2 where a light is turned onto section 5_1142-5 where alight is turned off. The processing method when specific unit 1290(device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) moves acrossdifferent sections 1142 is additionally described.

In this case, section data before and after movement of unit 1290(device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) needs to beextracted as shown in the steps of FIG. 30. The time-series datatracking table described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28 is useful forthis extraction. The section of sensor combination module 1460-5 inFIGS. 27 and 28 changes between t3 and t4 of the elapsed time 2310 from2 to 5. The section data before and after movement can be easilyextracted by seeking a position of change. In this case, services areoften offered, especially, for the section before and after movement.Thus, in the system of the present embodiment, services aresimultaneously or sequentially offered in both of section 2_1122-2 andsection 5_1122-5 from and to which specific unit 1290 (device 1250, orcombination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) moves. Services can beefficiently offered to the user in system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128 corresponding to system in FIG. 9) by intensivelyperforming service offering in section 2_1122-2 and section 5_1122-5before and after movement. The series of processes from Step 155 to Step158 in FIG. 30 correspond to the processing in FIG. 26B. Further, unit1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) arranged insection 2_1122-2 before movement is extracted as in Step 151 of FIG. 30.Services are offered to the user also in section 2_1122-2 beforemovement through similar processing (Step 130). As has already beendescribed above, change of setting conditions (state change control) maybe sequentially or simultaneously performed for a plurality of itemsalso in section 2_1122-2 before movement.

The data communication corresponding to the commands (issuance ofcommands) 1852 is preferably collectively performed without performingother processing halfway in system controller α_1126 (or systemcontroller β_1128 in system shown in FIG. 9) as described above, evenwhen services are simultaneously or sequentially offered in both ofsection 2_1122-2 and section 5_1122-5. When the data communication iscollectively performed in this manner, different communication dataitems can be created by the above processing of copying common data. Theuse of the above method produces an advantage of increasing processingefficiency of system controller α_1126 (or system controller β_1128 insystem shown in FIG. 9).

Section 4.4 Method of Tracking Movement Between Sections in VariousModules or Devices

Section 4.4 describes a method of detecting a position in whichcommunication module 1202 included in device 1250 or communicationmodule 1660 included in a combination module is arranged.

If radio is used for physical communication medium (communication media)used on the in-system network line 1782 in FIG. 10A, a radio wave isemitted from communication modules 1202 and 1660 at a certain time. Aposition of communication module 1202 or 1660, a device comprising it,or a combination module is detected from the position of emission of theradio wave using this timing in the present embodiment. The GPStechnology is known as a conventional method of detecting the positionof a device. However, only GPS-related components mounted in a deviceare expensive if this technology is applied. Conversely, additionalcomponents are not necessary to detect a position in the above method,producing an advantage of allowing communication module 1202 or 1660 (ora device comprising it, or a combination module) to be less expensiveand smaller.

The technology of a beacon is also known as well as the GPS technologywhich is used to know positional data. A radio wave emitted from anartificial satellite is used in the GPS technology. Conversely, forexample, a ground radio wave conforming to the short range radiostandard called Bluetooth is used in the beacon technology. That is, aplurality of devices configured to transmit a short range radio wave areplaced in a plurality of ground portions, and a short range radio wavetransmitted from each device is receiver to calculate a relativeposition of reception. However, a circuit for calculating a position isnecessary on the reception side. Thus, a circuit of a receiver increasesin size, causing the receiver to be larger and more expensive even inthis method. On the other hand, active position detection in combinationmodule 1295 (or unit 1290) requiring position detection is unnecessaryin the system of the present embodiment, allowing combination module1295 (or unit 1290) to be less expensive and smaller.

FIG. 31 shows a principle of position detection in the presentembodiment. Each of system controller α_1126, device 1250-1 and device1250-4 configured to receive the radio wave and to detect a position ofa transmission source comprises a GPS function. Thus, positions ofsystem controller α_1126, device 1250-1 and device 1250-4 are known inadvance. An emission position of the radio wave is measured using acharacteristic of the radio wave received by system controller α_1126,device 1250-1 and device 1250-4.

A received time (received timing) of a radio wave on the reception sideengaged with the detection of the position (system controller α_1126,device 1250-1 and device 1250-4) is used to detect a position. Atransmission source is identified in a network communication systemcomprising a plurality of radio wave transmission sources using receivedtime (received timing) of a radio wave. Alternatively, it may be saidthat the transmission source is identified in the network communicationsystem comprising the plurality of radio wave transmission sources usingcontent of communication data. For example, emission timing of the radiowave is different between sensor combination module 1460-5 and actuatorcombination module 1470-3 in FIG. 31. Thus, which of sensor combinationmodule 1460-5 and actuator combination module 1470-3 the radio wave isemitted from can be identified from the received timing. Using thereceived timing of the radio wave for position detection in this mannerproduces an advantage of detecting different positions at the same time,and of improving efficiency of position detection. The positiondetecting method of the present embodiment is not limited to the above,and a signal from a beacon (conforming to the Bluetooth Smart standard)may be used.

A specific method of identifying a transmission source of a radio waveis described. Data is communicated on the same system network line 1782by the group of the physical layer frame PPDU shown in FIG. 11 (f).System controller α_1126 controls or manages system network line 1782 toprevent the physical layer frame PPDU transmitted from differenttransmission sources from overlapping each other at the same time.

Address data indicating a transmission source is stored in one physicallayer frame PPDU. Specifically, the source IP address data SIPADRS inFIG. 13 (b) described in Section 2.4 can be used to identify thetransmission source. Alternatively, for example, the source IEEEextension address SEXADRS in FIG. 12A (e) described in Section 2.3 maybe used to identify the transmission source as data stored in the MAClayer header MACHD (FIG. 11 (a)). Thus, a radio wave characteristic atthe time of reception is measured on the reception side of the radiowave, and transmission source address data described in a correspondingphysical layer frame PPDU is decoded. This allows a radio wavecharacteristic to be acquired for each radio wave transmission source.

Further, simultaneously received radio wave characteristics in aplurality of portions are compared to calculate positional data of atransmission source. Using the radio wave characteristics in theplurality of portions in this manner produces an advantage of increasingaccuracy of position detection. There is a method of using radio fieldstrength as a radio wave characteristic used to detect a position of thetransmission source. That is, the radio field strength in a position ofreception is inversely proportional to a square of a distance to thetransmission source in an ideal state. Thus, relative positional data ofsensor combination module 1460-5 and actuator combination module 1470-3can be estimated by comparing reception radio field strength of systemcontroller α_1126, device 1250-1 and device 1250-4.

Further, a radio wave phase may be used as another radio wavecharacteristic used to detect a position of the transmission source.That is, since a phase of a received radio wave differs depending on thedistance between a transmission source and a destination, thisphenomenon is used to detect the position. The relative positional dataof sensor combination module 1460-5 and actuator combination module1470-3 can be estimated by comparing a phase of a radio wavesimultaneously received by system controller α_1126, device 1250-1 anddevice 1250-4.

Alternatively, a traveling direction of the radiowave may be used asanother radio wave characteristic used to detect a position of thetransmission source. To detect the traveling direction of the radiowave, the traveling direction of the radio wave is measured by comparingeach of detection signals obtained from a plurality of receiverscomprising different detection sensitivity with respect to the travelingdirection of the radio wave. The position is detected from a travelingdirection of the radio wave emitted from the obtained transmissionsource using trigonometry. This embodiment produces an advantage ofaccurately detecting the position of the transmission source with veryinexpensive equipment. The radio wave characteristic used for theposition detection in the present embodiment is not limited merely tothe traveling direction of radio wave. It may be combined with receptionstrength, a phase at the time of reception, or other radio wavecharacteristics.

The position of the transmission source can be easily and accuratelydetected using trigonometry if, for example, system controller α_1126and device 1250-1 in FIG. 31 can individually detect the travelingdirection of the radio wave transmitted from sensor combination module1460-5. The position can be detected using the trigonometry based on atleast two receiving points of the radio wave. System controller α_1126preferably covers one of the radio wave receiving points for the reasons(1) system controller α_1126 manages/operates/controls datacommunication or system network line 1782, (2) system controller α_1126always analyzes data in the physical layer frame PPDU, and (3) thedetection position of the radio wave characteristic should be physicallyclose to the calculation position of the transmission source in terms ofefficiency. As another radio wave receiving point, general device 1250comprising the GPS function may be used, or a dedicated device fordetecting a position of a transmission source may be provided.

Next, a principle of a method of measuring the traveling direction ofthe radio wave is described with reference to FIG. 32 (b). Detectionsensitivity of a parabolic antenna 2760 used, for example, to receive aground wave comprises directional dependency of a received radio wave.For example, the parabolic antenna 2760 configured to obtain detectionsignal α comprises the highest detection sensitivity when the receivedradio wave comes from the direction of A, and low detection sensitivitywhen it comes from the direction of B or C. As described above, theparabolic antenna 2760 comprises a characteristic that detectionsensitivity differs depending on the traveling direction of the radiowave. Conversely, the parabolic antenna 2760 configured to obtaindetection signal β comprises the highest detection sensitivity when thereceived radio wave comes from the direction of B, and the parabolicantenna 2760 configured to obtain detection signal γ comprises thehighest detection sensitivity when it comes from the direction of C.Thus, the traveling direction of the received radio wave can beestimated in principle by simultaneously receiving the received radiowave from an arbitrary direction using the three parabolic antennas2760, and comparing the strength between detection signals α, β and γ.The process of estimating the traveling direction of the received radiowave corresponds to the method of comparing each of detection signalsobtained from a plurality of receivers and measuring the travelingdirection of the radio wave.

FIG. 32 (a) shows a structure of an antenna for directional detectionwith higher directional accuracy. The basic structure thereof iscomposed of a stealth plate 2730 formed to be substantially a triangularpyramid or quadrangular pyramid. Antenna 2710-1 is arranged in a crossshape on the side of the substantially triangular pyramid orsubstantially quadrangular pyramid. Antenna 2710-1 is composed of a pairof antennas orthogonal to each other. Only one pair of antennas 2710-1orthogonal to each other in a cross shape may be arranged on one surfaceof the stealth plate 2730, as indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 32(a). Alternatively, pairs of antennas 2710-1 to 2710-3 orthogonal toeach other in a cross shape may be arranged on one surface of thestealth plate 2730, as indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 32 (a).Each pair of antennas 2710-2 and 2710-3 indicated by the broken lines inFIG. 32 (a) is attached to be rotated 30 degrees relative to antennas2710-1 orthogonal to each other in a cross shape. Both of A) receptionof communication data on the in-system network line 1782, and B)position detection of the transmission source are performed usingantennas 2710-1 orthogonal to each other in a cross shape. An amplifierand signal processing circuit 2720 is arranged in each of antennas2710-1 to 2710-3 arranged in a cross shape. Detection signals α, β, γand δ are individually obtained from each amplifier and signalprocessing circuit 2720. The structure is not necessarily formed to beaccurately a triangular pyramid or a quadrangular pyramid. It sufficesthat the surfaces of the stealth plates 2730 face in differentdirections.

The detection sensitivity of cross-shaped antenna 2710 arranged on thesurface of the stealth plate 2730 in FIG. 32 (a) comprises receptiondirection dependency. Thus, the pair of cross-shaped antennas 2710correspond to a receiver comprising different detection sensitivitiesdepending on the traveling direction of the radio wave. The comparisonbetween individual detection signals α, β, γ and δ obtained from eachamplifier and signal processing circuit 2720 corresponds to thecomparison of each detection signal.

FIG. 33 (a) is an enlarged view of one surface in FIG. 32 (a). Thestealth plate 2730 arranged on the backside of cross-shaped antennas2710 plays roles of (1) preventing a radio wave from enteringcross-shaped antennas 2710 from the backside, and (2) absorbing a radiowave passing through cross-shaped antennas 2710. Arranging the stealthplate 2730 on the back side of antennas 2710 configured to detect thetraveling direction of the radio wave in this manner produces anadvantage of controlling reflection of an unnecessary radio wave whichdecreases the accuracy of detection, and of increasing the positiondetection accuracy of the transmission source. To exert this advantage,the stealth plate 2730 comprises a two-layer structure as shown in FIG.33 (b). The layer in the back is composed of a metal plate layer 2734with the minutely uneven frontside. The arrangement of the metal platelayer in the back solidly prevents the radio wave from penetrating, andalso prevents it from entering cross-shaped antennas 2710 from the backside.

However, the radio wave is reflected or the front side of the metalplate layer 2734. Thus, the structure is devised in various ways inorder for the reflected radio wave not to enter cross-shaped antenna2710. One of the devices is found in that the surface of thesubstantially triangular pyramid or substantially quadrangular pyramidis curved as shown in FIG. 33 (c). The curved surface changes thetraveling direction of an incident radio wave 2800, which is madeincident substantially in parallel, at an incident position. Further,the metal plate layer 2734 with the minutely uneven front side isintended to irregularly reflect the incident radio wave 2800 which ismade incident substantially in parallel.

Original purpose (2) of the stealth plate 2730 is not to reflect theradio wave but to absorb the radio wave. To realize function (2), a weakconductive organic layer 2738 with the minutely uneven front and backsides is arranged on the upper side of the metal plate layer 2734 withthe minutely uneven frontside in the stealth plate 2730. Specifically,the weak conductive organic layer 2738 with the minutely uneven frontand back sides may be formed by hardening metallic powder on an organiclayer, or entirely formed of a weak conductive organic matter. Theincident radio wave 2800 is absorbed in the weak conductive organiclayer 2738. Since the incident radio wave 2800 cannot be completelyabsorbed only in the weak conductive organic layer 2738, the incidentradio wave 2800 is irregularly reflected on the uneven front side. Thisallows irregular reflection efficiency to be improved between the weakconductive organic layer 2738 with the minutely uneven front and backsides and the metal plate layer 2734 with the minutely uneven frontside, and causes the irregularly reflected radio wave to be absorbed inthe weak conductive organic layer 2738, preventing the radio wave fromreaching cross-shaped antennas 2710.

The detailed structure of cross-shaped antennas 2710-1 shown in FIG. 32(a) and the principle of the detection signal characteristic aredescribed with reference to FIG. 34. The internal structure of thecross-shaped antennas 2710 is achieved by combining a structure in whichtwo antennas 2710 arranged in a lateral direction (X-direction) areconnected to each other through a resistor 2920 and a structure in whichtwo antennas 2710 arranged in a lengthwise direction (Y-direction) areconnected to each other through the resistor 2920, as shown in FIG. 34(a). A capacitor or an inductance as well as the resistor 2920 may beproperly arranged for the connection between the two antennas 2710 toimprove a frequency characteristic of signal detection. The amplifierand signal processing circuit 2720 is composed of voltagedifferentiators 2940-1 and 2940-2 configured to detect a difference involtage generated between the resistors 2920, and an accumulator 2960configured to add signals obtained from each of them.

If, for example, the plane of polarization is tilted by θ relative tothe horizontal axis (X-axis) as shown in FIG. 32 (b), and a radio wavehaving electric field amplitude A passes in a direction perpendicular tothe cross-shaped antennas 2710, a signal of

A²e^(i2ωt) cos²θ  (1)

is obtained from voltage differentiator 2940-1, and a signal of

A²e^(i2ωt) sin²θ  (2)

is obtained from voltage differentiator 2940-2. In formulae (1) and (2),a phase term of a detection signal is expressed by a complex number.Thus, an output signal from the accumulator 2960 which adds each signalis given by

A²e^(i2ωt)  (3).

Tilt angle θ of the plane of polarization is not present in formula (3).That is, a fixed characteristic of the obtained detection signalsobtained without depending on tilt angle θ of the plane of polarization,as long as the radio wave passes in the direction perpendicular tocross-shaped antenna 2710.

If a radio wave passes the cross-shaped antennas 2710 at an angle ξrelative to the direction perpendicular thereto as shown in FIG. 34 (c),an output signal from the accumulator 2960 is given

A²e^(i2ωt) sin²ξ  (4).

Above formula (4) indicates that the output signal of the accumulator2960 changes depending on the traveling direction of the radio wave withrespect to the cross-shaped antennas 2710 (depending on an angle tiltedrelative to the direction perpendicular to the cross-shaped antennas2710).

Thus, the traveling direction of the radio wave can be calculated bycomparing output signals α, β, γ and δ (of the accumulator 2960)obtained from each of the cross-shaped antennas 2710 disposed on stealthplates 2710 facing opposite directions as in FIG. 32 (a) using aboveformula (4).

If tilt angle ξ is especially small in FIG. 34 (c), the amount of outputsignals tends to greatly depend on a vibrating surface of the radiowave.To reduce the harmful influence, the pairs of cross-shaped antennas710-2 and 2710-3 which are indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 32 (a),and comprise a rotation angle are arranged. Detection signal errorscaused when tilt angle ξ is small can be reduced by cancelling merelythe most different output signal of output signals obtained bycross-shaped antennas 2710-1 to 2710-3, and averaging the other twooutput signals.

The traveling direction of the radio wave can be efficiently measured(without being affected by the plane of polarization) by arrangingantenna 2710 to make a right angle as in formula (3). Alternatively,antenna 2710 may be arranged at an arbitrary angle (if any correction ismade when the traveling direction of the radio wave is calculated).Further, antenna 2710 is not necessarily linear as described above. Itmay be in other shapes, for example, in a leaf shape as shown in FIG. 34(d).

The detection accuracy is sometimes reduced due to reflection on a walland the ceiling during the progress of a radio wave if the position ofthe transmission source is detected from the traveling direction of theradio wave. To prevent it, radio waves comprising different frequenciesmay be used for the position detection. For example, frequency bands of2.4 GHz, 915 MHz, 950 MHz and 868 MHz can be used depending on areas asa reference frequency used for short range radio communication. Thus,for example, wireless communication based on the above differentreference frequencies may be simultaneously performed. A reflectioncharacteristic during the progress of the radio wave on the wall andceiling changes depending on a reference frequency to be used. Thus, theaccuracy of detecting the position of the transmission source isimproved by comparing the results of the position detection for whichthe wireless communication comprising each of the different referencefrequencies is used.

As described above, if the trigonometry is used for the positiondetection, the position of the transmission source can be detectedmerely by measuring the traveling direction of the radio wave basicallyat two positions. However, the traveling direction of the radio wave maybe measured at least three receiving points to prevent the positiondetection accuracy from being reduced due to the reflection during theprogress of the radio wave. The comparison of measurement results atleast three receiving points improves the accuracy and reliability forthe position detection of the transmission source. The method is notlimited to either of them. A method of increasing receiving points forposition detection and increasing reference frequencies to be used maybe combined. This produces an advantage of improving the positiondetection accuracy of the transmission source.

Section 4.5 Adaptability Between Different Systems in Unit (CombinationModule or Device)

System α_1132 in the system of the present embodiment cake applied to anetwork communication system widely ranging from a consumer sector, ahealthcare field to a social infrastructure sector. As described inSection 4.2, initialization (check-in), plugging-in and plugging-out ofunit 1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) insystem α_1132 can be performed very easily in the system of the presentembodiment. The combination of the above allows unit 1290 (device 1250,or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) to be easily incorporated intoa plurality of different types of systems and to be used in the systemof the present embodiment. Furthermore, the same unit 1290 (device 1250,or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) can be used in differentsystems.

Thus, the use of the system of the present embodiment produces anadvantage that universality of unit 1290 (device 1250, or combinationmodule 1295, 1460 or 1470) can be secured in a very wide area. If,especially, combination modules 1295,1460 and 1470 comprise universalityin the very wide area, they can be easily less expensive because of massproduction. Furthermore, since combination modules 1295, 1460 and 1470which are less expensive can be used in different systems, the usabilityof combination modules 1295,1460 and 1470 is greatly improved.

The relationship between system α_1132 and system β_1134 across whichthe same unit 1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or1470) is used may be included in the same domain 2_1122-2 as shown inFIG. 1. Alternatively, system α_1132 and system β_1134 may belong todomain 1_1122-1 and domain 2_1122-2, respectively.

The initialization (check-in), plug-in, and plug-out methods of unit1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) betweensystem α_1132 and system β_1134 are described in Section 4.5.

First, a case where system α_1132 and system β_1134 comprise differentfunctions is described. In this case, system controller α_1126 in systemα_1132 and system controller β_1128 in system β_1134 individuallyperform identification processing of an adaptive/non-adaptive system onunit 1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470). Ifthe adaptive/non-adaptive system is identified regarding device 1250,exchangeable data 1810 (refer to FIG. 10B) is exchanged on communicationmiddleware layer APL06 for identification, as described in Section 2.1with reference to FIG. 16 or 17B. Conversely, the adaptive/non-adaptivesystem is identified regarding combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470using communication data in media access layer MAC02, as described inSection 2.1 with reference to FIG. 10A. For example, as described inSection 2.3 using FIG. 12A (e), the source IEEE extension addressSEXADRS included in communication data transmitted from combinationmodule 1295, 1460 or 1470 may be used. In this case, server n_1116-n maybe accessed from data of the obtained IEEE extended address SEXADRSthrough the Internet, and identity data of combination module 1295, 1460or 1470 may be acquired to identify the adaptive/non-adaptive system.

As a result of the processing, if corresponding unit 1290 (device 1250,or combination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) is determined to be anadaptive system, whether it is incorporated into a corresponding systemis confirmed to the end-user through the user interface 1234 (FIG. 2,8A, 8B or 9).

First, if system α_1132 and system β_1134 comprise the same function,the adaptive/non-adaptive system is identified using data of a positionin which unit 1290 (device 1250, or combination module 1295, 1460 or1470) is arranged, as described in Section 4.2.

Next, a situation occurring when the same unit 1290 (device 1250, orcombination module 1295, 1460 or 1470) is used across system α_1132,system β_1134, etc., and a method of handling it are described. As anexample of unit 1290, C-format may be used, as shown in FIG. 17A, ascommunication middleware layer APL02 used when combination module 1295communicates data with system controller β_1128. Alternatively, anotherformat may be used for data communication with combination module 1295as communication middleware layer APL02. As another example of unit1290, not only A-, E- and W-formats but also the extension applicationlayer EXL06 may be used, as shown in FIG. 17B, for communicationmiddleware layer APL06 used when device 1250 communicates data withsystem controller β_1128. As shown above, different formats may be usedon communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06 depending on unit1290 (device 1250, combination module 1295 or 3583) to be used.

FIG. 36A shows a configuration example of system controller 3581configured to mutually communicate with various units 1290 (combinationmodules 3583). FIG. 36A shows various processing executers byconnections of hardware forms for ease of description. The structure ofsystem controller 3581 may be composed of the connections of hardwareforms in this manner. Alternatively, if system controller α_1126 iscomposed of processor 1230 and memory 1232 as shown in FIG. 2, theInternet connector 3581 a to the Internet matching data output unit 3581g shown in FIG. 36A correspond to a processing flow executed inprocessor 1230.

A plurality of combination modules 3583 developed by different makersare present as a unit or combination module 3583 which is an example ofthe unit. Further, different formats (standards) may be used oncommunication middleware layer APL02 for each combination module 3583.Thus, different formats (first to n^(th) communication standards) areavailable on communication middleware layer APL02 such that the samesystem controller 3581 can mutually communicate with various combinationmodules. Accordingly, different communication standards are identifiedin the communication standard recognition unit 3581 c in systemcontroller 3581, and processing is properly performed in accordance withthe communication standards based on the identification result. Then,the universality of system controller 3581 is improved, producing anadvantage of communicating data with different combination modules 3583developed by different makers.

Various formats which are used in communication middleware layers APL02and APL06, and described in Section 2.1 comprise:

A-format written in text format in a broad sense;

C-format in “command/request/response/status” form;

E-format in which a setting code is stored in a predetermined area; and

W-format in which the transmission side is entered in a specific field,or in which a tag specific to HTML/HTML5 is described. Thus, datadescribed in communication middleware layers APL02 and APL06 (datadescribed in the communication middleware data APLDT of FIG. 11) isanalyzed, and the corresponding communication standard can be identifiedby determining which format the data corresponds to.

Combination module 3583 is connected to the Internet 3585 through anaccess point 3584A and/or a base station 3584B, as shown in theembodiment of FIG. 17A. The Internet 3585 in FIG. 36A corresponds to theout-system network line 1788 in FIG. 17A. Although it is omitted in FIG.37A, the battery built-in router (gateway) 1300 in FIG. 17A is placedbetween the Internet 3585 and the Internet connector 3581 a in systemcontroller 3581.

Combination module 3583 may comprise sensor module 1260 as shown in, forexample, FIG. 4B (a) or (b), and transmit a detection signal from sensormodule 1260. Alternatively, identification data may be stored in theself-attribute data storage area 1793 (FIG. 7B) of communication module1660 in combination module 3583, and may be accessed from outsidethrough the Internet 3585 and the base station 3584B using the data (oraddress of combination module 3583 [for example, IP addresses SIPADRSand DIPADRS in FIG. 13]).

As described in Section 1.6, communication module 1660 with thestructure of FIG. 7A or 7B is used also in part of communication module1202-3 (FIG. 2) in system controller 3581 and system controller α_1126.Thus, the Internet connector 3581 a in FIG. 36A corresponds to the datacommunication executor 3016 in FIG. 7A. Similarly, a protocolrecognition unit 3581 b in FIG. 36A corresponds to the physical layerframe analyzer 1918 in FIG. 7A, and a data detector 3581 d in FIG. 36Acorresponds to the content extraction unit 1938 in FIG. 7A. The Internetmatching data output unit 3581 g in FIG. 36A corresponds to the physicallayer frame generator 1914 in FIG. 7A. Both of the communicationstandard recognition unit 3581 c and a communication standard matchingformat setting unit 3581 f in FIG. 36A correspond to the combination ofthe signal processor 1780 and processor 1736 in FIG. 7B. The processingperformed in a data processor 3581 e of FIG. 36A is executed inprocessor 1230 in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 17A, combination modules 3583 and 1295 can be connectedto system controller 3581 (system controller β_1128) through theInternet 3585. Communication data used at this moment comprises astructure shown in FIG. 11. The source IP address data SIPADRS and thedestination IP address data DIPADRS are stored in it, as shown in FIG.13.

A signal received in the Internet connector 3581 a is analyzed in theprotocol recognition unit 3581 b. The IPv6 header IPv6HD and thecommunication middleware data APLDT (and the extension data EXDT) inFIG. 11 are individually extracted in the protocol recognition unit 3581b. Then, the extracted communication middleware data APLDT (andextension data EXDT) is analyzed in the communication standardrecognition unit 3581 c.

The communication standard recognition unit 3581 c comprises a dataprocessing routine for analyzing formats of various communicationstandards in advance. Thus, the communication standard recognition unit3581 c can easily determine which of A-, E-, and W-formats (FIG. 17B) acombination module adopts, or whether C-format (FIG. 17A) is adopted.After a corresponding communication standard is recognized, it is inputto the content (for example, sensor detection data) data processor 3581e extracted in the data detector 3581 d.

In the present embodiment, after a communication standard to which thecommunication middleware data APLDT (and the extension data EXDT) inreceived communication data conforms is automatically determined, thecommunication middleware data APLDT (and the extension data EXDT) isgenerated based on the format conforming to the communication standard,and a response is transmitted to destination unit 1290. Specifically,the communication middleware data APLDT (and the extension data EXDT) isgenerated in the communication standard matching format setting unit3581 f based on data of the communication standard (formats ofcommunication middleware layers APL02 and APL06) identified in thecommunication standard recognition unit 3581 c. This produces anadvantage of allowing system controller 3581 to stably communicate datawith plurality of units 1290 (or combination modules 1295) developed byother makers.

That is, as described above, the communication standard on communicationmiddleware layers APL02 and APL06 (and the extension application layerEXL06) used by corresponding unit 1290 (or combination module 3583) isalready recognized in the communication standard recognition unit 3581c. Thus, the data transmitted from the data processor 3581 e isconverted into the communication middleware data APLDT (FIG. 11) and, ifnecessary, the extension data EXDT based on the data in thecommunication standard matching format setting unit 3581 f. As a result,destination unit 1290 of transmission (reply) (or combination module3583) can recognize the communication middleware data APLDT (and theextension data EXDT). Transmission data of a predetermined data formatis input to the Internet matching data output unit 3581 g.

FIG. 36B shows an example of combination module 3583 (or unit 1290)moving to different areas. Network system α_1132 and network systemβ_1134 are present in each area. Thus, system controllers 3581-1, 3581-2and 3581-3 which are configured to control and manage networkcommunication, and to acquire data in a network system are placed ineach area. System controllers 3581-1, 3581-2 and 3581-3 arranged in eacharea comprise the same structure as system controller 3581 in FIG. 36A.

As described above, all of system controller 3581-1, 3581-2 and 3581-3flexibly conform to different formats (communication standards) oncommunication middleware layers APL02 and APL06 (and the extensionapplication layer EXL06). Thus, combination module 3583 (or unit 1290)can mutually communicate with system controllers 3581-1, 3581-2 and3581-3 regardless of the area it may move to.

Chapter 5 Examples of Various Applicable Fields Section 5.1 Examples ofApplication to Consumer Electronics Technology Section 5.1.1 Example ofApplication of Wide Area Network System to Consumer ElectronicsTechnology

As an example of application of a wide area network system shown in FIG.1 to the consumer electronics technology, “specific information” may berelated to the goods to be circulated among a wholesale firm B1_1104-1,a service provider B_1112-2 and system α_1132. For example, the serviceprovider B_1112-2 collects materials from the wholesale firm B1_1104-1,such as wide-area weather information from such the MeteorologicalAgency, accident information from the police stations or road congestioninformation from the road traffic information center, and processes theinformation into useful form for each area, to be published on theInternet. A general end user may operate a personal computer (systemcontroller α_1126) on hand to receive browsing service of suchinformation.

Further, as an example of application to the consumer electronicstechnology, each of domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3 shown in FIG. 1 may berelated to a predetermined activity area on the network, of a member ormembers who constitutes a specific group relating to a family (for asingle person, the person is counted as one family) or a business, orhobby/community. Moreover, a specific member on a social network service(SNS) may form a specific one of domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3 as theabove-described specific group.

Furthermore, as another specific example, in which when system α_1132shown in FIG. 1 is related to PAN constituted at home of an individualuser, system β_1134 may be related to the network environment (thespecific PAN environment or LAN environment) in a place from home. Inthis case, the personal digital assistant in hand of the user at theplace from home, such as a smartphone and a tablet, is related to asystem controller β_1128. Here, the system β_1134 may be related to, notonly one set of the personal digital assistant, but also the entirelocal network space (constructed within physically or geographicallyclose specific area) to where the system controller β_1128 is connectedmay be related to the entire system β_1134. Examples which show therelationship between the system α_1132 and the system β_1134 in thedomain 2_1122-2 are as follows. That is, there is such a method that auser operates the above-mentioned personal digital assistant (systemcontroller β_1128) out of the system β_1134 of the place from home, toenter the domain 2_1122-2 with identification information ID and its ownpassword specific to the domain, and controls a specific equipment insystem α_1132 constructed in the house. There is also another method toreceive an original service based on the information from apredetermined sensor module in the house (system α_1132) (for example,to obtain in a place from home a suggestion of a dinner recipe from thefoods material information stored in the refrigerator of the house).

Section 5.1.2 Examples of Application of Combination Module to ConsumerElectronics Technology

As an example of application to the consumer electronics technology, thesensor combination module 1460 or actuator combination module 1470 maybe attached to a commercially-available small-size household appliancesuch as an alarm clock, a flashlight, a toothbrush or a drier, todrastically improve the function of the household appliance at low costas an advantageous effect. Here, as the method of attaching the sensorcombination module 1460 and the actuator combination module 1470 to thecommercially-available small-size household appliance, it is not alwaysnecessary to fix it with a screw, but, for example, it may be attachedtemporarily using a double-stick tape or adhesive. By merely attaching(adhering) a sensor combination module 1460, for example, of one ofvarious kinds, to one of these household appliances, various types ofsensor functions can be added to these household appliances very easily.Various types of information detected by these sensor combinationmodules 1460 are collected in the system controller α_1126. Further, bymerely attaching (adhering) an actuator combination module 1470 whichgenerates sound or light, for example, to these small-size householdappliances, a new additional function can be provided to thesesmall-size household appliances very easily. These addition functionsare controlled by the system controller α_1126 in an integral manner.Thus, the household appliances with the new additional functions areable to provide the optimal service for a user's action or status. Forexample, if a user has a problem of waking on time in the morning, sucha service carte provided that an alarm clock outputs the notification bya loud human voice. Or if a user left a specific small-size householdappliance at home, or nowhere to find it in the house, such a servicecan be provided that the small-size household appliance itself tells theuser whereto find.

Other examples of application will be described below. That is, forexample, sensor combination modules 1460 with such a function as atemperature sensor, a wind sensor, a sound sensor, a photo-sensor or ashort-range human presence sensor are installed in numerous places inthe section 2_1142-2 (room), to enable communications within the systemα_1132 with respect to the system controller α_1126. Simultaneously, aactuator combination module 1470 is build in the remote controller forcontrolling device such as an air-conditioner, television or a lightingdevice, to enable the system controller α_1126 to control device such asthe air-conditioner, television, lighting device via the remote control.In this manner, the system controller α_1126 is able to ascertain thedistribution characteristics in the temperature, wind, sound, brightness(luminance) and the motion of people in the section 2_1142-2 in detail.Then, based on the result of ascertaining, the device is controlled atthe optimal conditions for the user.

Especially, in a large room, the air conditioning effect greatlydeviates, and therefore the difference in temperature or wind forcetends to be large from one place to another. In such a situation, bywayof the above-described service, the level of satisfaction of users usinga large room can be significantly improved. With this method, the levelof satisfaction of many users can be advantageously and efficientlyimproved by merely replacing the commercially-available remote controlwith the above-described remote controller with the built-in actuatorcombination module 1470 without a necessity of replacing the alreadyinstalled main body of the commercially-available device (such anair-conditioner, television or lighting device).

Here, in the communications where the remote control with the built-inactuator combination module 1470 is used as the device 1450-4 with thebuilt-in actuator combination module 1470-2 shown in FIG. 8B, C-format,which is capable of communicating much simplified communicationinformation described in Chapter 2 using FIG. 25, may be used. Not onlythis, it is also possible to improve the configuration of the remotecontroller to the level of the device 1250-1 with the built-in actuatormodule 1270-1, the communication module 1202-4 and the device controller1240-1 as shown in FIG. 8A. In this case, A-format or E-format, whichwill be described later, may be used for the communications within thesystem α_1132 with respect to the system controller α_1126.

Next, a further application example will be provided. That is, FIG. 37Bshows a state in which milk 3506 purchased by a purchaser is stored in arefrigerator 3521. The container of the milk 3506 is equipped with acombination module 3523. The combination module 3523 is attached theouter surface of the milk container and covered with a seal. Meanwhile,a system controller 3522 is installed inside the refrigerator 3521, andthe system controller 3522 can communicate with the combination module3523.

It should be noted here that the combination module 3523 contains anantenna-equipped communication module 1666 (FIG. 4A (b)) so as to beable to store self-attribute data 1793 in the communication module 1666.The system controller 3522 can request a reply of contents of theself-attribute data 1793 from the combination module 3523. As theresult, the system controller 3522 can check the “best-before-date data”contained in the self-attribute data. Since the system controller 3522has the present date data therein the best-before-date data obtained andthe date data are compared to measure the degree of how close to the endof the best-before date of the milk. That is, for example, the systemcontroller 3522 can detect the cases of, for example, within one week,within four days, within two days, within one day or the expiration ofthe best-before date.

Not only that, moreover, but also the system controller 3522 can receivethe self-attribute data 1793 from the combination module 3523 providedon each of the articles, foods, etc., in the refrigerator 3521. Thus,the system controller 3522 can display the list data of the foods,articles, etc., stored in the refrigerator on a display 3525 provided onthe refrigerator 3521 using the communication line in the network. Theuser, as viewing the display 3525 of the refrigerator 3521, can confirmthe status of the best-before date of the milk 3506. Then, under thecontrol of the system controller 3522, the status of the best-beforedate of the milk 3506 can be displayed by changing the color on thedisplay 3525. For example, when the status of the best-before date ofthe milk 3506 is within one week, green may be indicated, and blue forthe status within four days, yellow for the status within two days, pinkfor the status within one day and red for the status of the expirationof the best-before date. In place of changing the color, this displaymethod may use various indicating modes, for example, a bar indicationand a warning message display. Moreover, when the self-attribute data1793 contains data of purchase date and store identification data, thesedata may be indicated on the display 3525.

An example where the combination module 3531 is buried in the heelportion of a shoe 3505 is shown in FIG. 37C. The combination module 3531contains a pressure sensor, a moisture sensor, etc., built thereinto.When the user goes home, the combination module 3531 and the systemcontroller 3532 at home mutual communicate to read from the systemcontroller 3532 the number-of-walking-steps data and humidity datapreviously recorded in the combination module 3531. Thus, the systemcontroller 3532 can calculate the number of walking steps by the userfor the day. Not only that, moreover, but also the present humidity datain the shoes 3505 can be obtained. Using the results, the number ofwalking steps made by the user for the day and the humidity of the shoecan be displayed on the smart phone 3533, for example.

Section 5.1.3 Example of Application of Section Division Method toConsumer Electronics Technology

In Section 5.1.3, examples of the application of the section divisionmethod to the consumer electronics technology will be described. FIG. 24shows an example of division of one entire housing site into sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m when the housing site is related to the systemα_1132. For FIG. 25, the description was made by relating the sections1_1142-1-m_1142-m to every room. By comparison, FIG. 24 is directed to aslightly wider concept, in which also the yard in the housing site isrelated to one section 10_1142-10. Further, as in FIG. 8A to FIG. 8B,the space in the car is related to one section 1_1142-1 in FIG. 24.Also, as in FIG. 8A to FIG. 8B, the place where the smart meter 1124 isplaced is withdrawn from the objects of the sections in FIG. 24, but theconfiguration is not limited to this. The place where the smart meter1124 is placed may be defined as a specific independent section.Moreover, sections 3_1142-3 to 8_1142-8 are assigned to respective roomsincluding a toilet or a bathroom. In the system of this embodiment, thesection division is not necessarily carried out for each room, but an“entire detached house”, which is partitioned into a plurality of roomswithin itself, may be assigned to one section 2_1142-2. Moreover, forexample, a storeroom, which is a space where the user is not oftenpresent may be related to section 9_1142-9.

Moreover, an example in which the results of integration and managementof data collected for each section 1142 are actually used is as follows.That is, the system controller α_1126 (or the processor 1230 thereof)may estimate or judge in units of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m, thepresence/absence of the end user and action/state (, which is whetherthe end user is awake or asleep, or he or she is an adult or child,etc.). Moreover, the integration or management of collected data may beperformed not only in units of sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m asdescribed above, but also in units of, for example, systemsα-β_1132-1134 (for example, it is estimated/judged how many users are athome in one housing site).

An example of the method of providing services to users will bedescribed. That is, the setting of temperature of the air-conditioner,the ON/OFF or brightness control of lighting, the output volume controlof TV, radio, audio deck, etc., may be performed in units of sections1_1142-1 to m_1142-m. In this manner, such fine services cache providedin units of sections 1142, and thus there is also an advantageous effectof saving power consumption within systems α-β_1132-1134 (energy-savingmeasures).

Section 5.2 Example of Application to Social Infrastructure FieldSection 5.2.1 Example of Application 1 of Wide-Area Network System toSocial Infrastructure Field

When the wide-area network system shown in FIG. 1 is applied to thesocial infrastructure field (Social Infrastructure Technology), a state,a local government and a public institution such as a public corporationor a charitable corporation, are also related to wholesale firms A_1102,B1_1104-1, and B2_1104-2. Here, the information (merchandise) to behandled by the wholesale firms A_1102, B1_1104-1, and B2_1104-2, may berelated to the personal information of a citizen of a nation,prefecture, a city, a metropolis, such as a domicile or resident card, atax-payment history and the like. Or the information (merchandise) to behandled by the Public Roads Administration and the Housing Corporationmay be related to the road congestion information and accidentinformation, land cost (land price) for each region, and housing data.When applied to the social infrastructure field, in particular, theinfrastructure owned, managed or run by the wholesale firms A_1102,B1_1104-1, and B2_1104-2 (for example, powerlines, water-and-sewagepipes, utility gas pipes), or the delivery systems (delivery means usingtrains, trucks, etc.) can be utilized.

First, an example of services of a railroad or traffic infrastructure tobe provided under a commission from the public organization of a state,a local government and a public corporation, a charitable corporation,etc., will be described. Here, information of deterioration of a road,an iron bridge, a tunnel, a railroad track for each area areperiodically notified from the system controller α_1126 to the servern_1116-n. The information of all the servers 1_1116-1 to n_1116-n in theservice provided B_1112-2 are integrated for planning for a future roadreconstruction or issuing a warning of abnormality, and reported(notified) to the commissioning agency, that is, the state, the localgovernment or the public organization (, which corresponds to wholesalefirms A/B_1102/1104). Another example of integrative management ofsystems for a railroad, traffic, postal, transportation and air-trafficcontrol will be described. Various types of service situations andaccident information periodically notified from the system controllerα_1126 to the server n_1116-n are managed in an integrative manner, andservice change instructions as needed are notified to the systemcontroller α_1126 or system controller β_1128 from the service providerB_1112-2. The service provider B_1112-2 which provides these services isspecifically related to a particular social infrastructure managementorganization and a social system management organization (a businesscorporation or a charitable corporation). Not only the above, moreover,but also, for example, an NPO corporation and an NPO may be related tothe service provider B_1112-2.

The above-described examples are directed to the methods which only thesingle service provider 1112 provides services. The system of thisembodiment is not limited to this, but also, two or more serviceproviders A/B_1112/1114 may cooperate with each other to provideservices. That is, as explained in the above-provided description ofSection 1.7 using FIG. 1, data-and-resource sharing 1114 is carried outbetween the service provider A_1112-1 and the service provider B_1112-2or between the service provider B_1112-2 and the service providerC_1112-3, thus making it possible to improve the efficiency and theadvancement of the service. When this structure is combined with theinformation acquired by the smart meter 1124, such an advantageouseffect can be obtained, that new effective use and diversion of publicconsumption items can be obtained. As an example thereof, let usconsider a case where the electric power supply is received using theinfrastructure and distribution system of the wholesale firm A_1102, andthe payment for the power amount is made to the service providerA_1112-1 of the power retailer, and the waterworks supply is receivedusing the infrastructure and distribution system of the wholesale firmB-2_1104-2 and the sewage disposal service is obtained using theinfrastructure and delivery system of the wholesale firm B1_1104-1, andthe payment for the amount of the water and sewage used is made to theservice provider B_1112-2 of the water-and-sewage retailer. Database1118-n corresponding to server n_1116-n in the service provider B storesthe collected information acquired from the smart meter 1124, whichinclude, for example, the amount of water reserved in the system α 1132in real time (the difference in the amount of water supplied via thewaterworks and the amount of water discharged via the sewer), and thewater pressure information in the waterworks. Here, if “information ofmomentary sudden rise in the power consumption fee” and “a request tolimit the power consumption” in a specific time zone are received fromthe service provider A_1112-1 of the power retailer, the server n_1116-nin the service provider B_1112-2 of the water-and-sewage retailer readsthe stored data in the database 1118-n and determines whether or not thewater-power generation is possible based on the amount of water storedin the target system α_1132, or the water pressure in the waterworks.When the water-power generation within the target system α_1132 ispossible as a result of the determination, the server n_1116-n makes aproposal to the system controller α_1126 a to “switch to the water-powergeneration” in the system α_1132. Thus, such an advantageous effect canbe obtained that not only to decrease the power rates in the systemα_1132, but also the risk of an excessive amount of power used in therespective area can be avoided.

Next, another service form different from the contents described abovewill be described. The system of this embodiment is described in Section1.7 in connection with the case where there are a plurality of commoditysupply courses from the wholesale firm A_1102 towards the smart meter1124 which serves as a sales window for supplying a specific commodityinto the domain 2_1122-2 or the system α_1132 (the direct courseindicated by “dashed lines” from the wholesale firm A_1102 into thesmart meter 1124 and the course via the service provider A_1112-1 inFIG. 1). A specific example of the method of providing services carriedout by the service provider A_1112-1 in the domain 2_1122-2 or thesystem α_1132 based on the advantage of the above-described feature, andits unique effect obtained thereby will be described below. Here, asexamples of the commodity related to the service, public consumptionitems such as electric power, gas, water service, gasoline, etc., whosecharges change depending on the region where or time when they areutilized, will be discussed. Naturally, not only those, but also otherservices or commodities (for example, general consumer goods, trading offixed assets, etc., using networks, circulation of specific information,and the like) may be subjects of the application. For example, when apublic consumption item is used in the domain 2_1122-2 or the systemα_1132 during the winter and summer seasons and daytimes, in which thecost of the utility becomes high, the quantity equivalent to the amountof use in the wholesale firm A_1102 measured with the smart meter 1124is returned from a predetermined commodity storage 1154 (for example, astorage battery or a water or gas tank) to the wholesale firm A_1102. Onthe other hand, when the cost of utility is low, such as nighttime andthe time when the use of an air-conditioning equipment is not needed,the public consumption item is purchased from the wholesaler A 1102 andstored in the predetermined commodity storage 1154. Thus, thesubstantial cost of utility to be paid by the end user (the user in thedomain 2_1122-2 or the system α_1132) for the public consumption itemcan be reduced. Simultaneously, the service provider A_1112-1 canreceive part of the reduction amount of the cost of use of the publicconsumption item (that is, profit margin) as remuneration. Furthermore,with the above-described method, such a new advantageous effect can beobtained that the amount of use of the public consumption items asviewed over a very wide area (the amount of the commodities supplied bythe wholesale firm A_1102 [the public consumption items]) can besmoothed (that is, the temporary increase and decrease in the amount ofuse of the public consumption items caused by a season or time can bereduced).

In the case of returning the quantity equivalent to the amount of use inthe wholesale firm A_1102 measured with the smart meter 1124 from thepredetermined commodity storage 1154 to the wholesale firm A_1102, asdescribed above, a high control accuracy is required in thecharge/discharge controller or storage/outflow controller. In order toachieve a high control accuracy, the system of this embodiment performsa real-time feedback of the charge/discharge or storage/outflow amountin the charge/discharge controller or storage/outflow controller (andsimilarly the portions corresponding to the inflow controller 1214 andthe outflow controller 1212) based on detected information (detectionsignal) from a charge/discharge monitor or storage/outflow monitor,(which is a portion corresponding to the inflow monitor 1218 or outflowmonitor controller 1216, which will be described later using FIG. 8A andFIG. 9, present in the predetermined commodity storage 1154, but omittedfrom the illustration in FIG. 1). Not only that, as needed, the totalcumulative amount of charge/discharge or storage/outflow for apredetermined period may be calculated out and compared with apredetermined target value to use the amount corresponding to thedifferential value with respect to the target value as a feedback on theamount of charge/discharge or the storage/outflow in the nextpredetermined period. Thus, with the implementation of theabove-described control method, such an advantageous effect can beobtained that the accuracy in the control of the total cumulative amountfor each predetermined period is improved to become able to suppress theloss (the amount of deviation in the gains, caused by the shortage ofcontrollable amount) in the dealing of public consumption items to theminimum.

Incidentally, when applying the wide-area network system to the socialinfrastructure field, one of the domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3 shown inFIG. 1 may be related to an entire specific social infrastructure or anentire specific social system. For example, a unit of administration orstatus observation of a railroad, traffic, postal, air-traffic control,transportation and public consumption item production business, etc.,for a predetermined group (a specific corporation or specificcorporation group), or a unit of administration or status observation ofany other social infrastructures antisocial systems may be related to arespective one of the domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3. Furthermore, a largegroup of administrations or observations of statues of an activity of aspecific community, a predetermined organization or a predeterminedcorporation whose dispersed activities for each area are integrated by anetwork, may be related to one of the domains 1_1122-1 to 3_1122-3.

On the other hand, one of the systems α/β_1132/1134 shown in FIG. 1 maybe related to one building or area. That is, the objects of the powersaving system (energy management system) are called as Home EnergyManagement System (HEMS), Building Energy Management System (BEMS) orCommunity Energy Management System (CEMS), depending on the scale orsize. Here, one of the systems α/β_1132/1134 in this embodiment may berelated to one management unit of the HEMS, BEMS or CEMS.

Moreover, an example of relationship between the domain 1122 and thesystems α/β_1132/1134 as a specific relating method other than the abovewill be described. For example, when the domain 1122 is related to theoperation management or status observation of a specific railroadcompany, an automatic ticket gate system, a ticket issuing system, acommuter pass issuing system, an operation situation management systemfor each train, an automatic breakage state management system for arailroad track, a train breakage state management system, a platformdegradation management system, a power supply state management systemfor each train, a malfunctional warning system in a train/on a platform,an in-train system for arresting a molester, a management system formanaging duty and salary payment for train crews and station officers, asalary payment/accounting system or the like may be related to one ofthe systems 1132-4. Moreover, when the domain 1122 is related to theadministration and state management of a traffic or transportationbusiness, a degradation management system for a road, an iron bridge ora tunnel, a road accident information management system, a trafficcongestion management system, a breakage state management system fortransportation means (truck, etc.), a gate management system (for ahighway, etc.) (including an ETC management system), a check-in-and-outoffice management system for employees, a salary payment accountingsystem, or the like may be related to one of the systems 1132-4.

On the other hand, in Section 1.7, it is discussed that in the casewhere one system α_1132 is related to a physically or geographicallyclose specific area, one domain 2_1122-2 can be related to a region on anetwork which transcends the physical or geographical space. When,accordingly, an entire management system for degradation of a road, aniron bridge and a tunnel is related to one domain 2_1122-2, thedegradation management unit of the road, iron bridge and tunnel set upfor each area may be related the respective one of the systemsα/β_1132/1134.

Section 5.2.2 Examples of Application of Combination Module to SocialInfrastructure Field

When the system of this embodiments applied to the social system orSocial infrastructure, the sensor combination modules 1460 may be placedon part of or in the vicinity of a signal, a road, entrance or exit gateof a highway or the like, or a public bulletin board (including anelectronic bulletin board) for the system controller α_1126 to ascertainthe traffic situation and traffic congestion situation of pedestriansand vehicles, and notify only necessary information to the servern_1116-n. In this case, the device 1450 may be related to the signal,electronic gate, electronic bulletin board or the like. Further, inrelation to this case, the section later described in Chapter 4 may berelated to a predetermined region in the vicinity of the signal,electronic gate or electronic bulletin board, or within a specific zoneof a road.

Especially, the sensor combination modules 1460 described above have afeature of easily adaptable to lightweight/small size/power saving (anexternal power supply being unnecessary). Therefore, taking advantage ofthis merit, various and numerous sensor combination modules 1460 may beinstalled inroads, bridge beams and tunnels or piping parts (of waterand sewage etc.), and thus the roads, bridge beams and tunnels or theinsides of the piping parts can be easily monitored for degradation fora long period. With respect to the various sensed information acquiredhere, only the necessary information can be extracted, that is, forexample, the detection of changed components, in the system controllerα_1126, and thus the analysis or data processing by the server n_1116-nside is facilitated.

Another example of the application of the above-described sensorcombination modules 1460 to the social infrastructure field is asfollows. That is, the sensor combination modules 1460 may be attached tocarts in stores, such as a supermarket, a convenience store and adepartment store, to collect the information on the behavioral hi storyof customers in the store. From the collected behavioral histories ofthe customers, for example, a “counter where customers stay long” and an“order of counters in which customers visit” canoe extracted, which maybe reflected in the marketing (market research), such as commodityexhibition in store. Thus, there is an effect of contributing to theenhancement of sales of the store.

Incidentally, in a large space, especially, for example, such as anoffice, a hospital, a large-sized store, the air conditioning effect issignificantly uneven, and thus there is a high tendency that thetemperature and wind force significantly differ from one place toanother. Here, as in Section 5.1.2, by installing the sensor combinationmodules 1460 with functions, such as a temperature sensor, a windsensor, a sound sensor, a photo-sensor and/or a short-range humanpresence to numerous places in an office, hospital, large-sized storebuilding and the like, the bias in the air conditioning effect in alarge space can be significantly reduced, and thus such an advantageouseffect of enhancing the degree of satisfaction of many customers.

Another embodiment which practically utilizes the combination module1295 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4A (a) or (b), all thecombination modules 1295 contain communication modules 1660. Moreover,as described in Section 1.6 using FIG. 7B, there is a self-attributedata storage region 1793 in each communication module 1660. In eachproduct, commodity, part or the like, provided with the combinationmodule 1295, the contents of the self-attribute data 1793 are changed orswitched according to the situation of use. The term “situation of use”used here covers a change of the area where the product, commodity, partor the like is located (that is, the change of the system in which thecombination module 1295 is placed as shown in FIG. 37B), or a change oflapsed time, or a change of conditions. When the combination module 1295is used as the sensor combination module 1460, the circumferential statein various operating environments can be monitored in combination withsensors.

FIG. 37A schematically shows, for example, an inside area 3501 of asupermarket, a cash register area 3502 and an exit area 3503 of thesupermarket. Here, the inside area of the supermarket corresponds to oneindependent system α_1132 (see FIG. 1). Cash registers 3511 a and 2511 bshown in FIG. 37A each operate as the system controller α_1126. Let ussuppose here that in the system α_1132, a pair of shoes 3505, milk 3506,and a bag 3507 are sold as commodities.

Each of the shoes 3505, milk 3506 and bag 3507 is provided with thesensor combination module 1460 as the combination module 1295. Aspecific example of the attaching method is that a sheet-like sensorcombination module 1460 (combination module 1295) is adhered to eachrespective commodity with adhesive. Not only that, it may be inserted(or mixed) to the shoes 3505, milk 3506 and bag 3507. Here, it isassumed that part of the self-attribute data 1793 contains an antitheftflag (for example, “1”). When the purchaser finishes payment, theinformation of the antitheft flag is erased under the control of thecash register 3511 a or 2511 b of the cash register area 3502. Morespecifically, for example, when the cash register 3511 a reads the barcode in which the price of the commodity is indicated, a read completionsignal is transmitted to the combination module 1295 (or the sensorcombination module 1460 or unit 1290) in the commodity. Then thecorresponding combination module 1295 (or sensor combination module 1460or unit 1290) determines that the payment is completed at the time ofreception of the reading completion signal and erases the antitheft flagto be “0”. Furthermore, the cash register 3511 a or 2511 b can add theidentification data of the supermarket and the date data of the paymentto the self-attribute data storage region 1793.

If a commodity is passed through the exit area 3503 of the supermarketwhile the antitheft flag has not been erased (the payment has not beenmade), an alarm will be output automatically. That is, the monitoringdevice 3512 which can output an alarm is installed in the exit area 3503of the supermarket. As described in Section 4.4, according to the systemof this embodiment, the locations of all the combination modules 1295(or sensor combination modules 1460) can be detected in real time.Therefore, when the combination module 1295 (or sensor combinationmodule 1460) passes through the exit area 3503 of the supermarket,communications of information are automatically made with respect to thesystem controller α_1126 (cash register 3511 a or 2511 b). If theantitheft flag is “1”, the alarm is output from the monitoring device.On the other hand, if the antitheft flag is “0”, the alarm is not outputfrom the monitoring device 3512.

The above-provided example of the system of the embodiment describes thecase where store clerks are placed at the cash registers 3511 a and 3511b and the antitheft flag is stored in the self-attribute data storageregion 1793. Not only that, however, but also the selling price of atarget commodity may be recorded in advance in the self-attribute datastorage region 1793. When the combination modules 1295 (or sensorcombination modules 1460 or units 1290), which store the selling pricesin advance, pass through the exit area 3503 of the supermarket, thetotal amount of the payment to be paid by the purchaser is displayedautomatically. Also, the combination module 1295 (or sensor combinationmodule 1460 or unit 1290) is mounted similarly in the wearing articles(a tiepin, a necklace, etc.) which the purchaser has put on, and as thepurchaser passes through the unattended cash registers 3511 a and 3511b, the total amount of payment will be charged directly to the bankaccount of the purchaser automatically. In addition, in order to make itpossible, the bank account number and password of the purchaser arerecorded in advance in the self-attribute data storage region 1793 inthe combination module 1295 (or sensor combination module 1460 or unit1290) mounted in the purchaser's worn articles.

Instead of mounting the combination module 1295 (or sensor combinationmodule 1460 or unit 1290) on which the accounting information of thepurchaser is recorded in a worn article as described above, the modulemay be placed in the purchaser's body by, for example, swallowing asdescribed later in Section 5.3.2.

As described above, the use of the combination module 1295 (or sensorcombination module 1460), not only the prevention of the ft, but alsothe automatic charging, which does not require the presence of a clerk,can be achieved. Thus, such an advantageous effect can be obtained thatthe labor cost can be significantly cut down to help the enhancement ofthe profit of the supermarket.

FIG. 37D shows an example which uses the combination module for, forexample, a system which inspects the corrosion state of the steel framesupporting a wall of a building, the wall of a tunnel, a bridge, etc.For example, steel frames 3541 a, 3541 b, 3541 c and so on support thebackside of a wall 3540 of a tunnel to be inspected. The combinationmodules 3542 and 3543 are attached to the surface of each of the steelframes 3541 a,3541 b, and 3541 c. In FIG. 37D, the communication modules3542 and 3543 attached to the steel frame 3541 a appear on the drawing.When the wall 3540 to be inspected has a shielding effect on the radiowave, an antenna 1480 is externally installed to the communicationmodule 1660 in the combination module 1295 (FIG. 4A (a)). The externalantenna 1480 is set at a position where the radio waves which can betransmitted and received. That is, in the example of FIG. 37D, antennas3542 a and 3543 b of the combination modules 3542 and 3543 are guidedout on the outer surface of the wall 3540 to be inspected through thelead lines which penetrate the wall 3540 to be inspected.

Here, the sensor modules 1260 (FIG. 4B (a)) in the combination modules(sensor/communication modules) 3542 and 3543 are tightly attached to thesurfaces of the steel frames 3541 a, 3541 b and 3541 c via an insulatingfilm. If the surface of any of the steel frames 3541 a, 3541 b and 3541c rusts and rises, the adhesion film will born and the sensor module1260 will come into direct contact with the rust. When the sensor module1260 contacts the rust, the resistance in the sensor module 1260 willfall. Therefore, by detecting the resistance in the sensor module 1260,the surface rusting state of the steel frames 3541 a, 3541 b and 3541 ccan be ascertained.

In many cases of the examples of the system of this embodiment describedso far, the system controllers 1126 and 3546 are installed in the fixedsystem, whereas the units 1290 (or combination module 1295) are movable.By comparison, the feature in the example of the system of theembodiment shown in FIG. 37D (or FIG. 37E to be described later) is thatthe units 1290 (or combination modules 1295) are fixed and the systemcontrollers 1126 and 3546 are movable. For example, there are some caseswhere the sensor information of a very wide area region need to beobtained at once or the situation of the system does not allow thesystem controller α_1126 to be installed easily. In such cases, theunits 1290 (or combination modules 1295) are installed in the fixedsystem, and the system controllers 1126 and 3546 are moved as describedabove to collect the sensor information of each unit 1290 (orcombination module 1295). Thus, such an advantageous effect can beobtained that the sensor information of a very wide area can be easilyacquired.

In the system of this embodiment, the identical units 1290 (orcombination module 1295) are adaptable to several different systems asdescribed in Section 4.5. Therefore, even in this case, each timedifferent system controllers 1126 and 3546 are used for differentusages, the fixed units 1290 (or combination module 1295) can operateappropriately for each respective usage.

In the example of the system of this embodiment shown in FIG. 37D, thesystem controller 3546 is installed in a part of a inspection vehicle3545 (in FIG. 37D, the roof part of the inspection vehicle 3545) and itpasses through the vicinities of the antennas 3542 a and 3543 b of thecombination module. Each time it passes through the vicinities of theantennas 3542 a and 3543 b of the combination module, a command requestof “respond of the resistance in the sensor module 1260” is transmittedfrom the system controller 3546 to each of the combination modules(units) 3542 and 3543. Then, in reply to the request command, a responseof “the resistance in the sensor module 1260” is made from each of thecombination modules (units) 3542 and 3543 to the system controller 3546as requested. Thus, the system controller 3546 can inspect the rustingstate of all the steel frames 3541 a, 3541 b and 3541 c. In this manner,the periodical rust inspection can be carried out easily at highaccuracy. Note that the above-described rust detection method is only anexample and it is also possible to detect rust using other detectionmeans.

Thus, when an intolerable range of fall of the resistance is detected inthe sensor module 1260 as a result of the rust inspection, theinformation on the specific steel frame 3541 degraded by rust isnotified to the server n_1116-n of FIG. 1 from the system controllers3546 and 1126 via the Internet. In this case, the wholesale firmB1_1104-1 of FIG. 1 corresponds to the government or the Public RoadsAdministration. The contractor of the maintenance of the walls under acommission of the government or Public Roads Administration correspondsto the service provider B_1112-2. The contractor of the maintenance thewalls formulates a repair plan on the basis of the information on thesteel frame 3541 degraded by rust, which is stored in the servern_1116-n and applies for the repair budget to the Public RoadsAdministration (wholesale firm B1_1104-1).

FIG. 37E shows an example of application of the system of thisembodiment in which, for example, the combination module 1295 or unit1290 is used for leak detection of a gas pipe, a water pipe, a hydrantpipe or the like. The gas pipes, water pipes, hydrant pipes, etc., arearranged underground along roads in many cases. Therefore, thecombination module (unit) 3549 is attached on the surfaces of a pipe3548, such as gas pipe, a water pipe or a hydrant pipe. As the sensormodule 1260 built into the combination module (unit) 3549 and used forleak detection of a gas pipe, a water pipe, a hydrant pipe, etc., acomposite sensor in which a gas sensor, a humidity (water) sensor, asound sensor, a vibration sensor, etc., are combined may beincorporated.

As in FIG. 37D, FIG. 37E shows that the system controller 3546 ismounted in the inspection vehicle 3545 (in FIG. 37E, the systemcontroller 3546 is mounted on the bottom of the inspection vehicle 3545)and leaking is checked periodically. In reply to the request command ofthe system controller 3546, the detection data from the sensor module1260 is returned to the system controller 3546 as in FIG. 37D. Thesystem controller 3546 collects and analyzes the sensor information fromeach combination module (unit) 3549 to determine the location of gasleak, water leak or the like. Moreover, as in the case of FIG. 37D, thesystem of the embodiment shown in FIG. 37E has such an advantageouseffect that the abnormal site can be detected in a wide area by a verysimple method. In addition, the system controllers 3546 may be providedby fixation along the line of the pipes installed, instead of beingmounted in the inspection vehicle 3545.

FIG. 37F show an example in which the combination module (unit) isapplied to a greenhouse cultivation device. The greenhouse cultivationdevice may be called, for example, a greenhouse or a plastic greenhouse.A greenhouse 3550 is provided with a system controller 3551 and amonitoring camera 3552, for example. The monitoring camera 3552 can pickup the image of the state of plants in the greenhouse house 3550, andtransmit the visual signal thus picked up to a monitor display of thegrower (owner).

Let us suppose that in the greenhouse house 2550, vegetables such ascarrots, Japanese radishes or burdocks are grown, for example. In thecase of such vegetables, it is not possible to determine the growthcondition under the surface of the ground only by viewing from theoutside. The system of the embodiment shown in FIG. 37F is provided withbar-like monitoring devices 3553 a, 3553 b, 3553 c, . . . , set in theground, in each of which a plurality of combination modules (units) arebuilt.

The right-hand side of FIG. 37F shows an enlarged view of the bar-likemonitoring device 3553 c. Here, the pentagonal portion indicated thebar-like monitoring device 3553 c is an attachment plate of themonitoring device 3553 c and has such a shape that the tip is sharpenedto be easily inserted into the ground. Combination modules (units) FC1to FC5 and FD1 to FD5 are equipped in the longitudinal direction of theattachment plate. Moreover, each of the combination modules (units) FC1to FC5 contains within itself a sensor module 1260 which can measure thesize of a material in its vicinity by, for example, transmission andreception of an ultrasonic wave. The combination modules (unit) FD1 toFD5 are each equipped with a sensor module 1260 containing a moisturesensor which can measure humidity, for example. From the results of themeasurement obtained from the combination modules (units) FC1 to FC5,the growth (length) information on near-by vegetables (carrots orJapanese radishes) are collected. The method of collecting the growth(length) information on the near-by vegetables (carrots or Japaneseradishes) is not limited to the imaging by ultrasonic wave, but, forexample, the near-infrared rays having a wavelength within a range of700 to 2500 nm may be used for the imaging. Moreover the measurementdata of the humidity obtained from the combination modules (units) FD1to FD5 are useful to monitor the underground moisture condition. Themeasurement data obtained by the combination modules (units) FC1 to FC5and FD1 to FD5 are transmitted to the system controller 3551 through anantenna ANT.

The output data of the combination modules (units) FC1 to FC5 and FD1 toFD5 are compiled by the system controller 3551. The compiled results areindicated as needed on the display for the user to be able to easilydetermine the harvest time. Not only that, moreover, but also, bymonitoring the compiled results of the measurement data of the humidityobtained from the combination modules (units) FD1 to FD5, the user cansee the appropriate time for watering. Thus, an excellent growth ofvegetables can be monitored.

Furthermore, inside the greenhouse house 3550, a combination module(unit) 3554 containing a built-in infrared sensor and/or high-frequencyhigh-sensitivity microphone is provided. The combination module (unit)3554 is operated periodically to monitor, for example, pests and insectson the vegetables.

As other examples of the application of the system of the embodiment,FIGS. 37G and 37H show that different types of combination modules(units) are used in combination for monitoring. In particular, FIG. 37Gshows such a feature of the “detection of a usually impermissiblecombination”. Based on this, such an advantageous effect can be obtainedthat the abnormality can be detected with high efficiency and accuracy.Further, FIG. 37H shows such a feature of the “detection of correlationbetween a plurality of different identification data”. Based on this,such an advantageous effect can be obtained that that the accuracy ofthe detection of the state can be improved. Thus, by obtaining sensorinformation from a plurality of different types of combination modules(units) simultaneously as described above, such an advantageous effectcan be obtained that the accuracy of detection of a change in state canbe improved.

First, a method of “detection of a usually impermissible combination”will be described using FIG. 37G. For example, when a weapon is locatedaround a hospital, a school (an elementary, a junior high, a high schoolor a university), a police station, or the Imperial Palace, the systemcomputer can detected such a situation as an impossible combination ofobjects (specifically, the detection of a metal using a metal detector,etc.). FIG. 37G shows one concrete example of a room in a hospital. Theroom is provided with, for example, a bed 3560 for patients and a box3561 for medical instruments. Here, a combination module (unit) 3560 ais attached inside the bed 3560 for patients. Also, a combination module(unit) 3561 a is attached to the medical-instruments box 3561. Theidentification data of the bed 3560 is stored as self-attribute data1793 (FIG. 7B) in the combination module (unit) 3560 a. Here, theidentification data of the bed 3560 is ready to be transmitted as neededin reply to a request from the system controller 3562 installed outside.On the other hand, the identification data of the medical-instrumentsbox 3561 is stored as self-attribute data 1793 (FIG. 7B) in thecombination module (unit) 3561 a. Here, the identification data of themedical-instruments box 3561 is ready to be transmitted as needed inreply to a request from the system controller 3562 installed outside. Inthis manner, the system controller 3562 can ascertain the combination ofitems always present in the room. Thus, the system controller 3562comprises the database of various items which may be present in theroom.

Let us suppose here that a weapon 3565, such as a knife, is brought intothe room. The combination module (unit) 3565 a is also built into theweapons 3565, such as a knife. As the combination module (unit) 3565 atransmits the self-attribute data 1793 (identification data of theproduct) stored in advance, the system controller 3562 recognizes that aproduct which is allowed to be present in the room has appeared. As aresult, the system controller 3562 can quickly notify an abnormalcondition to the security guards room, the monitoring room, or thesecurity company.

The above-provided example is described in connection with a room in ahospital, but, not only that, the same concept can be applied to variousareas and facilities, such as the security regions around the ImperialPalace, the presidential residence, and the Prime Minister's officialresidence, schools (elementary, junior high, high schools anduniversities, etc.), and police stations.

FIG. 37H shows another example of monitoring by combinations of aplurality of types of sense information acquired from several differenttypes of combination modules 1295 (or units 1290). Here, the exampleshows a case where a passenger 3570 moves from an airport 3567 to anairport 3568 by an airplane 3569. Here, the combination module (unit)3570 a is built into each of the passenger's personal effects such asthe passport, a bag, a hat and shoes, and the applicable identificationdata are stored in advance in the self-attribute data storage region1793 (see FIG. 7B) in the combination module (unit) 3570 a. Similarly,the combination module (unit) 3573 a is attached to the passenger'scarrier bag 3573 as well. The identification data of the carrier bag isalso stored in advance in the self-attribute data storage region 1793 inthe combination module (unit) 3573 a.

While the passenger 3570 is boarding on the airplane 3569, the systemcontroller 3571 collects the identification data of the passenger'spersonal effects (baggage) 3572 an the carrier bag 3573. Then, theseplurality of identification data (the identification data of thepassenger's personal effects 3572 and that of the carrier bag 3573) areassociated with each other, and are recognized by the system controller3571 as an essential combination identification data for the passenger3570.

On the other hand, another system controller 3572 is also installed inadvance in the airport 3568, which is a destination of the passenger.When the passenger 3570 arrives at the airport 3568 of the destination,the plurality of identification data associated with the passenger 3570(that is, the identification data of the passenger's personal effects3572 and that of the carrier bag 3573) are transmitted automatically tothe system controller 3572 installed at the destination from the systemcontroller 3571 of the departure origin via the Internet. Then, thesystem controller 3572, on it's side, accesses the combination modules(unit) 3570 a built into the personal effects such as passport, bag, hatand shoes and the combination module (unit) 3573 a built into thecarrier bag 3573 to acquire the identification data (the identificationdata of the passenger's personal effects 3572 and that of the carrierbag 3573).

Next, the plurality of identification data acquired from the combinationmodules (unit) 3570 a and 3573 a and the plurality of identificationdata (the identification data of the passenger's personal effects 3572and that of the carrier bag 3573) obtained from the system controller3571 of the departure origin are compared. Thus, the system controller3572 of the destination can judge whether the passenger's effects 3570have been normally carried to the airport 3568 from the airport 3567.

Section 5.2.3 Example of Application of Section Division Method toSocial Infrastructure Field

Section 5.2.3 describes an example of section division in the case wherethe section division method is adapted in the social infrastructurefield. The section division units in the social infrastructure field aretend to be larger than the scale described in Section 5.1.3.

For example, in the case where each section 1142 is related to eachpartition (room) or each floor in a building, the average size of therooms of a private house is larger than that of the partitioned area ina building. Or each section 1142 may be assigned to each respective unitin collective housing.

In the case where the section division is adapted to the socialinfrastructure field, the sectional structure to divide may be made tohave hierarchy. For example, in the case of the above-describedcollective housing, a higher-level section division may be assigned toeach unit individually as the first high-level hierarchy, and alower-level section division may be further assigned to partitionedrooms in each housing unit. Similarly, hierarchical sections may beassigned to predetermined regions for each dividing scale. That is, forexample, the country of Japan is divided in units of prefecturesincluding a capital (the higher-level sections are assigned according tothese units), and a capital of Tokyo is further divided into a pluralityof wards and cities. Some of the prefectures are divided into aplurality of cities and counties. According to this division, amiddle-level section may be assigned, and further a low-level sectionmay be assigned to each address.

FIG. 35 is a schematic drawing of a map of a specific area. As shown,each section 1142 may be assigned to each respective address. Not onlythat, but also the division of the sections 1142 may be based on thepredetermined functions. An example thereof will be described. In Japan,some water pipes and cables for communication lines (telephone wires,optical fibers, etc.) are installed directly underground along mainroads. Further, some power supply lines are installed above the groundalong main roads. Therefore, a division 1900 of the sections 1_1142-1 to4_1142-4 may be carried out for each area or by a predetermined intervalalong main roads, piping of water and sewage, power distribution linesor communication cable lines. Moreover, with the system of thisembodiment, a plurality of sensor modules 1260 or sensor combinationmodules 1460 may be provided in the sections 1142 and the sensorinformation acquired there from may be integrated and managed for eachsection 1142, and thus it becomes possible to extract a damaged site onthe road, search a leakage site in a water and sewage pipe, ordisconnected part of a power distribution line or a communication cableline in units of sections 1142. As a result, it is further facilitatedto extract a damaged site on the road, search a leakage site in a waterand sewage pipe, or disconnected part of a power distribution line or acommunication cable line in more detail.

Similarly, the division 1900 of the sections 1_1142-1 to 4_1142-4 may becarried out for each area or by a predetermined interval along mainroads for ascertaining the traffic congestion state of main roadsincluding highways. When the traffic congestion state for each section1142 is displayed, the traffic congestion state can be easily andexactly ascertained. As relatively similar contents, the divisiontechnique of the sections 1142 may be used for ascertaining thecongestion state within a predetermined area. More specifically, whensuch an event as a soccer or baseball game, or a concert is held, thearea around the event hall is divided into a plurality of sections 1142.Thus, the congestion state of the crowd can be ascertained in units ofthese sections. Then, the guidance to the crowd and the arrangement ofsecurity persons can be done more efficiently.

As described above, the system of this embodiment integrates and managesthe results of collected information in units of sections 1142 tofacilitate the assessment of the status of a wide area in its entirety.Not only that, such an advantageous effect carte obtained that theconvenience of the maintenance of the social infrastructure system canbe improved.

An example of application in the social infrastructure field, which isslightly similar to the assessment of the situation of trafficcongestion on main roads, described above, the management of physicaldistribution may be raised. For example, in order to carry fish andshellfishes to a remote place while keeping the freshness thereof, theair transport method may be used to shorten the transit time. At thesame time, from the viewpoint of saving the cost for transportation,such a method of keeping the freshness for a long period whiletransporting tat remote place by a vehicle is also examined. As a resultof the examination, it has been found important to manage thetemperature during the transportation for keeping the freshness of fish,shellfishes, vegetables or fruits.

More specifically, the oxidation reaction rate and rotting rate insidefish and shellfishes, vegetables, or fruits are dependent on the ambienttemperature, and therefore, from this viewpoint, the storage temperatureoffish and shellfishes, vegetables of fruits should desirably be setlow. On the other hand, if a fish is placed in an environment belowfreezing point, blood in the fish body freezes and expands, which causesdistinctive degradation in freshness. As well in vegetables and fruits,the water contents on the surface and the inside are frozen to expandthe volume, which causes distinctive degradation in freshness. For thisreason, in the transportation to a remote place by a vehicle, itsessential to maintain the temperature of the fish, shellfishes,vegetables or fruits in the refrigerator car within a range of “0±1”.

Therefore, the temperature sensors are installed in the packingcontainers of the fish, shellfishes, vegetables or fruits to control theair-conditioning in the refrigerator car based on the temperatureinformation acquired from each packing container. The temperaturesensors in this case correspond to the sensor combination modules 1460.The section 1142 corresponds to the “environment in each refrigeratorcar”.

In the system of this embodiment, not only the above, but also someother section division method may be adopted. As described in Section4.4, the system of this embodiment is configured to detect the locationof the origin of radio transmission from individual sensor combinationmodules 1460. With this structure, by utilizing the location detectiontechnology for the sensor combination modules 1460 to detecttemperature, the current location of each packing container of fish,shellfishes, vegetables or fruits can be tracked in real time.Furthermore, from the contents ° Section 2.3, each packing container canbe identified by using sender IEEE extension address SEXADRS in FIG. 12A(e) (or sender IP address SIPADRS described in Section 2.4). Therefore,when the above-described techniques are combined, not only thetransportation routes and time can be managed for each packing containeroffish, shellfishes, vegetables or fruits, but also the transportationdelay by the traffic congestion in the transportation routes for therefrigerator car storing a particular packing container, etc., can bemanaged in real time. As a result, an instruction as to whether to avoidtraffic congestion may be given to the refrigerator car in considerationof the reserve time of the packing container prior to this vehicletransportation.

When this embodiment system is adapted to the above-mentioned physicaldistribution management, is important to select appropriate physicalcommunication media to be used for the network line 1782 in the samesystem of FIG. 10A, which will be described later. For example, with thestandard 802.11n of the institute of electrical and electronicsengineers (IEEE), compliant to medium-range radio, the effective radiusof cell is said to be several hundreds meters. Therefore, when themedium-range radio is adopted as the physical communication media, it isnecessary to set the physical size of each of the systems α_1132 andβ_1134 to 1 km or less. On the other hand, the cell radius of IEEE802.16e-2005 compliant to the long-range radio is 1 to 3 km. Therefore,when the medium-range radio is adopted as the physical communicationmedia, it is desirable to set the physical size of each of the systemsα_1132 and β_1134 to appropriately 3 km.

In each of the systems α_1132 and β_1134 of the above-described size,the transportation route (for example, the main roads of FIG. 35) may bespatially divided into multiple to define the sections 1_1142-1 tom_1142-m. Thus, when the current location during the transportation foreach packing container of fish, shellfishes, vegetables, or fruits ismanaged in each of the section 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m, such anadvantageous effect can be obtained that the location where the delay indelivery caused by traffic congestion on the transportation route can beascertained in detail, for example. Then, when the result is notified toother delivery vehicles to instruct to avoid the traffic congested site,the other delivery vehicles can achieve smooth transportation.

Another example of application of the method adopting the system of thisembodiment to the physical distribution management will be described. Inthis application, the “simple plug-in/plug-out method utilizing theposition detection of the combination module” described in Section 4.2is utilized. In this case, the short-range radio is adopted as thephysical communication media of the network line 1782 (FIG. 10A) withinthe same system.

Here, the inside of a large-sized refrigerator for storing the packingcontainer of the fish, shellfishes, vegetables or fruits which containthe built-in sensor combination modules 1460 for detects temperature isassigned as the system α_1132. Since the space inside is divided finelyinto the section 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m as so defined, the storage placeof the packing container in the large-sized refrigerator is managedautomatically. When the packing container is to be shipped, it willbetaken out of the large-sized refrigerator. Thus, it is automaticallyplugged out from the system α_1132, and also the date and time of theshipment is managed within the system controller α_1126.

Next, the inside of the truck space in the refrigerator car whichtransports the packing container is assigned to the system β_1134. Thespace inside is also defined finely as the sections 1142. The systemcontroller β_1128 installed therein collects temperature informationfrom the sensor combination module 1460 and controls theair-conditioning in the refrigerator car.

Note here that with the method of Section 4.4, only the location of theplacement of the communication module 1202 compliant to radiocommunications is detected, and the position of the sensor module 1260in the sensor combination module 1460 or the position of the actuatormodule 1270 in the actuator combination module 1470 is not detected.Therefore, when the accuracy in temperature management in therefrigerator car is so high that the temperature management for eachpacking container is not necessarily required, a single communicationmodule 1202 compliant to short-range radio communications may be used inplace of the sensor combination module 1460.

Then, the inside of the warehouse (large-sized refrigerator) of thedestination of delivery for the refrigerator car is assigned to a systemγ. A system controller γ mounted in the system γ share the informationwith the system controllers α_1126 and β_1128, the freshness of thefish, shellfishes, vegetables or fruits in the packing container carnepredicted from the information including the delivery delay information,the prior storage time in the warehouse prior to shipment, and theinternal temperature during transportation. Since the freshness afterdelivery can be thus predicted, it becomes easy to price the fish,shellfishes, vegetables or fruits, and also to select the destination ofdelivery thereafter, as an advantageous effect.

Furthermore, as another example of application which utilizes the“simple plug-in/plug-out method utilizing the position detection of thecombination module” described above, an “automatic settlement ofaccounts at the time of passing gate or purchasing commodity” may beconsidered. Here, as a combination module used in this applicationexample, a sensor combination module 1460 compliant to audio input maybe used. For example, now in Japan, a near-field radio of the standardof a noncontact IC card such as FeliCa (coined word which combinedFelicity and Card) is used in the check-in/out management at a door of apredetermined room, the checking process of, for example, aticket-examining device (gate) while commuters pass therethrough in arailroad station, or the automatic settlement of accounts at the time ofpurchasing commodity. But, since the near-field radio communication isused for the communication of the noncontact IC card, every time theuser should use the noncontact IC card, he or she must take it out fromthe place where it is carried, which takes time and effort.

In contrast, if the near-field radio communication is changed to theshort-range radio communications (or middle-range radio communications),it is a merit for the user since he or she no longer take it out fromthe carried (stored) place, such as a bag or a pocket to use it, whichcan save time and effort. Here, the physical form of the package inwhich the sensor combination module 1460-5 is mounted is not necessarilya card, but a form easy to carry, for example, a tiepin or a necklacemay be allowed. Then, the area for the system α_1132 is set only in thevicinity of the front of the entrance door of a predetermined room, theticket-examining gate for passing in a railroad station, a vendingmachine or the sales counter of a store. It should be noted that withthe method of Section 4.4, only the location of the placement of thecommunication module 1202 compliant to radio communications is detected,and the position of the sensor module 1260 in the sensor combinationmodule 1460 or the position of the actuator module 1270 in the actuatorcombination module 1470 is not detected. Therefore, for the check-in/outmanagement at a door of a predetermined room, or the checking process ofa ticket-examining device (gate) in a railroad station, a singlecommunication module 1202 compliant to radio communications may be usedin place of the sensor combination module 1460-5.

When the user proceeds to the front of a predetermined entrance door, orjust before the passing zone of a ticket examining machine (gate), orapproaches the vending machine or sales counter of a store, the “plug-inprocess” (Section 4.2) is automatically carried out. Thereafter, whenthe user leaves the place, the “plug-out process” is automaticallycarried out, but the system controller α_1126 still manages the gatepassage history (in the entrance door or ticket-examining device) or thepurchase settlement history of the user. Furthermore, by using theposition detection (refer to Section 4.2) of the sensor combinationmodule 1460-5, a state of emergency such as the user falling by accidentfrom a platform onto a rail track, can also be automatically recognized.

In front of a predetermined entrance door or a ticket-examining device(gate), in particular, the passengers or users may hold a hand over orplace a finger on a predetermined place for authentication of theindividuals. The individual authentication method in this case is notlimited to the collation of lines of a palm or a fingerprint, but alsothe image of a venous line pattern picked up by using the near-infraredlight reflecting near the palm or finger surface may be used for theauthentication of individuals. Furthermore, the authentication ofindividuals may be by the facial recognition without through a hand or afinger. Here, prior to the authentication of a user, the plug-inprocessing is carried out in the stage where the user proceeds to thefront of a predetermined entrance door or just before the passing zoneof a ticket-examining device (gate). Then, immediately after the plug-inprocess, the system controller α_1126 (refer to FIG. 8A or FIG. 8B) usesthe particular identification information (for example, IEEE extensionaddress EXADRS of FIG. 12A (e) or the like) of the sensor combinationmodule 1460-5 or the communication module 1202, to access the servern_1116-n and obtain the information for authentication (identification)of an individual (such as the lines on the palm/fingerprints/venous linepattern/facial pattern, etc.) in advance. Then, the information forauthentication (identification) of the individual obtained in advance,and the information obtained at the front of the predetermined entrancedoor or the passing zone of the ticket-examining device (gate) arecollated. Only the passengers who match the collation information areallowed to pass the entrance door or the ticket-examining device (gate),and the collation information are canceled. Thus, the system controllerα_1126 obtains the information for authentication (identification) ofthe individual in advance immediately after plug-in, such an effect canbe obtained that the authentication (identification) of individuals canbe quickly performed.

Meanwhile, when a user needs to be authenticated for electronicsettlement of accounts, he or she is requested to utter a speech (suchas a keyword) which is assigned to the user. Thus, the system controllerα_1126 of FIG. 8B receives the voice (or utterance word) informationfrom the sensor combination module 1460-5, and performs the “user'svoiceprint collation” using the information from the server n_1116-n.Then, the individual is authenticated by checking the collation betweenthe voiceprint and the IP address data (FIG. 13 (b)) stored in thesensor combination module 1460-5 or the information corresponding toIEEE extension address EXADRS. As a next step, the word uttered by theuser may be estimated/determined by the system controller α_1126 usingthe speech recognition technology as to whether the word indicates the“intention to agree with electronic settlement of accounts”. Here, whenall the collations are completed, the communication between the systemcontroller α_1126 and the server n_1116-n relating to the bankingmanagement of the user will be established, thereby completing theelectronic settlement of the accounts.

When the system of this embodiment is applied to any of the “physicaldistribution management”, “gate pass management” and “electronic bankingfor purchasing commodities” described above, such an effect can beobtained that the sensor combination modules 1460-5 corresponding tothese examples can be manufactured at very low cost, thereby making itpossible to circulate them in great number. Note that the globalpositioning system (GPS) used for position detection involves expensiveparts, and therefore a circulation in great number is conventionallydifficult. By contrast, usually, in this embodiment, the positiondetection is carried out using the radio wave transmitted by the sensorcombination modules 1460-5, and therefore no extra cost will be addedfor the position detection of the sensor combination modules 1460-5.Thus, the sensor combination module 1460-5 can be manufactured at verylow cost.

The examples of application in the social infrastructure field aremainly described by focusing on the use of the sensor combinationmodules 1460. The use is not limited to these, but the actuatorcombination module 1470 may be used for the remote control of a mobilerobot built into a movement controller. For example, the section1_1142-1 to m_1142-m are defined for the respective rooms of a hotel orcollective housing. Then, with use of the position detection technologyof the actuator combination modules 1470, the system controller α_1126controls the mobile robot to move to the entrance of a predeterminedroom. The mobile robot may be used to clean the predetermined room or tocarry a predetermined load.

In addition to the above-described examples of application, theembodiment is also applicable to agriculture. More specifically, inproduction of plants, for example, the systems α_1132 and β_1134 may beassigned to different types of plants to be cultured, respectively, andthus these plants are grown under different growth conditions. Further,the sections 1142 may be respectively assigned to growth sites of theplants of the same kind to control the amount of lighting, the amount ofsupply/refill of water, the temperature and humidity for each section,and also to manage the states of culture of the vegetables.

Section 5.3 Example of Application to Health Care Field Section 5.3.1Example of Application of Wide Area Network System to Health Care Field

An example of application of the wide area network system shown in FIG.1 to the health care field would be as follows. That is, under acommission from a wholesale firm B1_1104-1, which corresponds to astate, a service provided B_1112-2, equivalent to a specific publicinstitution, collects the names of diseases of patients and theirconditions, and the genetic information of each individual patient fromthe system α_1132, equivalent to a hospital or a medical institution ofan area, and can provide a method of collecting and organizinginformation of diseases on a nationwide scale. In this case, the publicinstitution (the service provider B_1112-2) accesses the systemcontroller α_1126 which manages the database in the medical institution(the system α_1132) of the area via a network to collect required dataautomatically. The result of the analysis obtained as a result isreported to the state (the wholesale firm B1_1104-1) and is published tothe people via the Internet or by media reports such asnewspapers/magazines.

Section 5.3.2 Example of Application of Combination Module to HealthCare Field

Each sensor combination module 1460 having the structure shown in FIG. 5has a number of merits including a light-weight, small-size power saving(an external power being unnecessary), and low-cost. Therefore, takingadvantage of these merits, the sensor combination modules 1460 can bemounted directly on the bodies of the users in motion. As a specificmounting method, the sensor combination modules 1460 may be mounteddirectly on the body, byway of using a worn item such as a wrist watch,glasses or tiepin, or it may be pinned to the clothes. Thus, the sensorcombination modules 1460 each combined with a temperature sensor, apulse sensor, a respiratory sensor (accelerometer), a blood oxygenconcentration sensor and the like, are mounted on patients and/orhealthy persons. In this manner, such an effect can be obtained thehealth conditions can be traced in real time. Further, with the systemcontroller α_1126 installed in units of hospital rooms or housing roomsof individuals, the results detected are analyzed in real time andabnormalities, if any, are notified to a doctor or a nurse. Such aneffect can be obtained that efficient care can be realized for patientsand healthy persons. Furthermore, only the necessary information can besorted out and transmitted to the server n_1116-n (FIG. 1) installed ineach hospital, such an effect can be obtained that the efficiencies ofthe data management and data processing in the server n_1116-n areimproved.

The method described above is related to the case where the combinationmodule is attached directly to a human body. The method is not limitedto this, but the combination module (for example, the combination module7_1295-7 of FIG. 2) may be directly inserted/input or embedded into thebody. In this case, instead of the form that the combination module7_1295-7 is singly installed in the network system α_1132, it isincorporated in the body (specific user) to be moved together with thehuman body (specific user). Here, the method of mounting the combinationmodule on the body described above may be troublesome when putting on ortaking off the combination module (the user may feel it troublesome). Incontrast, by directly inserting/inputting or embedding (incorporating)the combination module in the body in advance, such an effect can beobtained that the user-related information can be appropriately obtainedby the system controller α_1126 side without causing any trouble ofwearing or removing the module to the user.

First, a method of embedding the combination module into the body willbe described. For example, immediately after a surgical operation on apatient, the combination module 1295 shown in FIG. 4A (b) is embeddednear the sutured part. Here, there is a risk after the operation thatthe incised part or the part where the affected portion has beenextracted (cut) may suppurate, or that it may bleed internally.Therefore, it is important for a postoperative care to find theoccurrence of suppuration or internal bleeding, if any, of the partwhere the affected portion has been extracted (cut) as early aspossible. When bacteria enter the incised part or the part where theaffected portion has been extracted (cut) to cause suppuration, the pHvalue (hydrogen ion exponent) of the suppurating part changes. Here, asthe combination module 1295 to be embedded in the sutured part, thesensor combination module 1460 containing a built-in pH sensor modulewhich detects a pH value and a built-in blood sensor module, may beused.

In this case, it is not necessary to take such a long time to follow upthe postoperative condition. Therefore, as described in Section 1.6, thelife management data 1794 or the operation period management data 1795shown in FIG. 7B may be used to operate the sensor combination module1460 only for the postoperative follow-up period. Not only that,moreover, the durable period (battery life) of the battery chargermodule (battery) 1554 in the sensor combination module 1460 shown inFIG. 5 may be set short in advance to disable the sensor combinationmodule 1460 by battery life when the postoperative follow-up period haselapsed. In this manner, it becomes possible to prevent unnecessaryradio transmission from the combination module 1295 (sensor combinationmodule 1460) after the postoperative follow-up period. Thus, such aneffect can be obtained that the load on the system controller α_1126which controls/manages the network communications in the network systemα_1132 can be lightened.

Next, a method of inserting the combination module into the body will bedescribed. In this case, the combination module 1295 in the form shownin FIG. 4A (b) is enclosed in a capsule for the user to be able toswallow the capsule with water, a soft drink or the like. For example,when the soft drink containing the capsule mixed thereinto is producedat low price, the combination module 1295 can be inserted to the bodywithout a burden to users. Not only that, moreover, but also, forexample, when the user, who has a disease, take a medicine periodically,he or she may swallow the capsule together with the medicine. Thecapsule of the built-in combination module 1295 stays inside the user'sbody until it is excreted in a toilet or the like, thus making itpossible for the module to continuously transmit the user informationuntil then. Further, as described above, the life management data 1794,the operation maturity control data 1795, or the battery life of thebattery charger module (battery) 1554 may be utilized to preventunnecessary radio transmission from the combination module 1295 afterexcreted.

As examples of use of this method are the management of the user'shealthcare, the early detection of the onset/development of a disease,and the daily management of the exercising state of the user. First, theapplication to the management of the user's health care or the earlydetection of the onset/development of a disease will be described. Inthis case, the sensor module 1260 shown in FIG. 4B (b) is used as thedifferent function module 1440 which has functions other than thecommunication function shown in FIG. 4A (b). As an example of the sensormodule 1260, the temperature sensor module which measures the bodytemperature in the living body may be used.

As a conventional early detection method for a patient who hasinfluenza, there is a technique of installing a sensor which measuresthe temperature of the body surface of the user by means of infraredrays, for example, at a gate in an airport or the like. But, if the userpasses through the installed temperature sensor before his or her bodytemperature rises by the onset of influenza (that is, just before thedevelopment of symptoms), there is a risk of overlooking the patientwith influenza. By contrast, by tracking the change in body temperaturealong with time with the capsule containing the built-in temperaturesensor module 1260, it becomes possible to improve the accuracy ofdetection of patients with influenza.

As another example of the sensor module 1260 to be built into thecapsule, a sensor module configured to measure blood sugar level may beused. According to this method, the sugar content in blood is measuredfrom a near-infrared light spectral pattern obtained from blood. Adiabetic patient tends to have a blood sugar level (sugar content inblood) higher than that of a healthy person. When the blood sugar levelof the diabetic exceeds tolerance level, the prompt action ofmedication, or the like is required. Under these circumferences, bymonitoring the blood sugar level in the patient's body with the capsulecontaining the blood sugar sensor module, it becomes possible to quicklyfind the abnormalities in the blood sugar level and therefore thetherapeutic effect for the diabetic patients can be improved.

Conventionally, in hospitals or institutions, a nurse measures the bodytemperature and blood sugar level of inpatients periodically. Bycontrast, if the inpatients can take the capsule containing the built-incombination module 1295 periodically, it becomes possible to takeimmediate measures to a sudden change of the patient's condition. Notonly that, but also such an effect can be obtained that the personnelexpenses for the measurement of body temperature or blood sugar levelcan be saved, thereby making it possible to improve the administrationof the hospital or institution. Furthermore, by combining the positiondetection of the combination module 1295 by the method described inSection 4.4 with reference to FIG. 31 to FIG. 34, there is also aneffect that it is possible to detect a dementia patient if he or shewanders around in the hospital or institution.

Moreover, the “name of the person who took the medicine” may be recordedwith the “name of the medicine” as a part of the self-attribute data1793 in the combination module 1295 (see the corresponding part inSection 1.6). Here, the in patients and tenants are monitored with acamera installed in the hospital or institution at all times, to managethe timing when they take specified medicines. When the inpatients andtenants take the specified medicine, the system controller α_1126records such information in the combination module 1295. Thus, thecompliance of the medicine for each inpatient or tenant can be alwaysmanaged, and therefore such an effect can be obtained that it can helpto prevent them from forgetting to take the specified medicine.

Next, an example of use in the daily management of the exercising stateof the user will be described. In this case, an accelerometer may beused as the sensor module 1260 build in the capsule. Here, by combiningthe output of the accelerometer incorporated inside the body and theposition detection information of the combination module 1295 described,the exercising state of the user can be always monitored in real time.Here, when the amount of daily exercise for the user to be managed isless than a predetermined target value, the I/F unit 1234 in the systemcontroller α_1126 or the display in the system controller β_1128indicates to the user a suggestion for the measures to be taken.

Moreover, an example of the system of this embodiment, in which the“detection of a usually impermissible combination” described using FIG.37G is utilized for the determination whether or not a combination ofmedicines is possible, will be described. Generally, two or moremedicines are prescribed in combination for patients in many cases. Insuch cases, it is possible to automatically determine whether acombination of certain different types of medicines is safe or not. Forexample, the combination module 1295 (unit 1290) is contained in each ofmedicine tablets. As described before, each combination module 1295(unit 1290) is enclosed in a capsule comprising a harmless material tothe body. When the patients excrete the capsules when they go to atoilet, the capsule is removed from the body to the outside. Thus, thecombination modules 1295 (units 1290) will not affect the body. Here,the capsules containing the built-in combination modules 1295 (units1290) mixed into the medicine tablets are configured by the same methoddescribed above to stop radio transmission when discharged from the bodyto the outside.

It should be noted here that the combination module 1295 (unit 1290)contains communication module 1660 as shown in FIG. 4A. Further, theself-attribute data 1793 is stored in advance in the communicationmodule 1660 as shown in FIG. 7B. Here, in the example of the system ofthis embodiment, the identification data of medicine is stored in theself-attribute data 1793.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 2, the memory 1232 of the systemcontroller α_1126 exclusively used for checking a plurality of medicinesof a prescription, stores in advance a data table of the medicines whichcan be combined in a prescription, or a data table of the medicineswhich may cause a problem for health when combined. When patient orpharmacist who prepared prescribed medicines passes through the systemcontroller α_1126 for checking medicines, while carrying the medicines,whether or not the combination of the medicine is possible can bedetermined quickly and easily.

In the system of this embodiment, as described in Section 4.4, thelocations of all of the units 1290 or combination modules 1295 can bedetected in real time. Therefore, when a combination module 1295 (unit1290) mixed into in a medicine passes through a predetermined place, thesystem controller α_1126 for checking medicine can detect the situationas needed. Then, the system controller α_1126 for checking medicinerequests a reply of the self-attribute data 1793 (medicineidentification data from the combination module 1295 (unit 1290) mixedinto the medicine, and thus the system controller α_1126 for checkingmedicine can appropriately monitor the contents of the plurality ofprescribed medicines. The medicine information collected by the systemcontroller α_1126 for checking medicine are referred to with theabove-described data tables, an inappropriate combination of medicinesto be taken, can be extracted easily. When an inappropriate combinationof medicines is detected, warning is output by voice or display to theuser or pharmacist.

Conventionally, such data tables indicating the combinations ofmedicines which may cause problems to health are managed by eachpharmacy or medical office of hospitals. In Japan, a “medicine notebook”is exclusively issued for each patient, which indicates the medicinalhistory taken by the patient in the past. With this system, as thepatient shows the medicine notebook, the pharmacist can easily detect aninappropriate combination of medicines to be taken. However, if thereare a great number of patients waiting for medication in a pharmacy orthe medical office of a hospital, the pharmacist is not allowed to havea sufficient time to refer to the medicine notebook with the data tableeach time. Here, in some cases, the pharmacist determines whether or nota prescription involves an inappropriate combination of medicines basedon his or her memory. As a result, there may be a risk of prescribing ainappropriate combination of medicines unwillingly due to a lapse ofmemory of the pharmacist.

When the above-described example of application of the system of thisembodiment is used, the pharmacist no longer needs to refer to the datatable manually. As a result, the efficiency of pharmaceuticalpreparation in the pharmacy can be improved significantly, and also suchan effect can be obtained that an appropriate combination of medicinesto be taken can be checked automatically at high speed and highefficiency. In the meantime, at a pharmacy or the medical office of ahospital, the prescribed medicines are prepared manually (by apharmacist), and therefore there is always a risk of preparation error.By contrast, with the example of the application of the system of thisembodiment here, it is possible to detect a pharmaceutical preparationerror at high precision. As a result, the reliability of medication, onwhich the patients depend, carte significantly improved.

In addition, Section 5.3.2 discusses the technique in which thecombination module 1295 (or unit 1290) is built into a capsule in orderto set the combination module 1295 (or unit 1290) into the body. Themethod is not limited to this, but other means may be used as well. Forexample, the combination module 1295 (or unit 1290) comprising a singlechip (or a hybrid chip) may be laminated (or coated) with a materialharmless to the body instead of putting it in a capsule.

Section 5.3.3 Example of Application of Section Division Method toHealthCare Field

As an example of application of the section division method to thehealth care field, the section 1142 may be divided in units of floors orrooms of a hospital ward, or the section 1142 may be partitioned inunits of medical departments of a hospital ward as in the case discussedin Section 5.2.3. In the system of this embodiment, various types ofsensor information thus acquired may be integrated and/or managed foreach divisions of the section 1142. Thus, the situation can beascertained for each section level of a hierarchy, or, for example, thefrequency of nurse calls and the frequency of occurrence of suddenchange in the patient's condition to the worse can be ascertained. Whenthe results thus ascertained are reflected in the planning of thearrangement of staff, such as nurses, such an effect can be obtainedthat the quality of the care service for the patients in the hospitalcan be improved.

On the other hand, the sections 1_1142-1 to m_1142-m may be assigned tothe respective parts of the body as an example of application to thehealthcare field. Here, as the sense information regarding the body,various types of sense information such as a regional body temperature,a regional perspiration, a strain rate of regional skeletal muscle, aregional change in oxygen concentration in blood vessel and a regionalpulse state are acquired. When such various types of sense informationare integrated and/or managed for each division of the section 1142, itbecomes easy to ascertain an abnormal part in real time. Thus, such aneffect can be obtained that it becomes easy to extract a part where thecondition is quickly aggravated and to grasp the condition of diseasefor the patient.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described hereinmay be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodimentdescribed herein may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended tocover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope andspirit of the inventions.

Chapter 6 Smart Household Appliance Automatic Control Method Section 6.1Relationship Between Automatic Control Enabled Smart Household Applianceand Associated Smart Household Appliances

FIG. 38 shows an example of a smart household appliance automaticcontrol system according to the embodiment. A home network system 1(corresponding to the system α_1132 in FIG. 2) includes a home gateway10 (corresponding to the system α_1132 in FIG. 2), and is connected tovarious appliances via an internal network line 1782. Further, the homegateway 10 is connected to a server n_1116-n via a broadband router 12(corresponding to the battery-equipped router [gateway] 1300 in FIG. 9).

The server n_1116-n and the broadband router 12 are connected by anout-system network line 1788. As a specific communication medium servingas the out-system network line 1788, a cellular communication system(long-range wireless system), such as an optical cable, a metallic cableor 2G/3G/4G, or a medium-range wireless system, such as WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi), may be used. In contrast, as a specific communicationmedium serving as the network line 1782, a short-range wireless system,such as Bluetooth or ZigBee, may be used. Further, as an inter-routerline 780 between the home gateway 10 and the broadband router 12, amedium-range wireless system, such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), may beused.

Therefore, in the communication module 1202-3 having a communicationfunction in the home gateway 10 (corresponding to the system α_1132 inFIG. 2), communication protocol conversion is performed between aplurality of different communication systems, i.e., the inter-routerline 780 and the internal network line 1782.

In the embodiment of FIG. 38, in order to realize informationcommunication using the internal network line 1782, appliances(corresponding to various appliances 1 to 5 [1250-1 to 1250-5] in FIG.2), such as a robot cleaner 16, LED lighting 58 and a camera unit 56built into a refrigerator, may be directly connected to the line, or maybe connected thereto via home automation (HA) adapters 1_14-1 to 4_14-4.The LED lighting 58 and the built-in camera unit 56 also contain thecommunication module 202, like the robot cleaner 16, although not shownin FIG. 38.

The above-mentioned LED lighting 58 means a lighting appliance using anLED, and is used as lighting for the whole room, or as lighting for alocal area, such as a desk lamp or a flashlight (having a communicationfunction). Moreover, a portion of the LED lighting 58 that has acommunication function corresponds to the antenna-equipped communicationmodule 1666 shown in FIG. 4C (a), and a portion of the same that has alighting function corresponds to the drive module 1670. In the system ofFIG. 38, the camera unit 56 is built into a refrigerator to enable goodstherein to be automatically managed within the home gateway 10.

As already described in Section 1.5 using FIG. 6D, a conventionalair-conditioner 42 and a television 44, which have no communicationfunctions, canoe managed and controlled in the home network system 1(corresponding to the system α_1132 in FIG. 2) simply by exchangingthose appliances for the combination modules 1295(actuator/communication modules 1470). In addition to this, it has beendescribed in Section 1.9 that the functionality of the existingappliances 1250 is expanded by installing therein the combinationmodules 1295. Thus, the combination modules 1295 installed in theexisting appliances 1250 for expanding or adding functionalitycorresponds to the home automation (HA) adapters 1_14-1 to 4_14-4 inFIG. 38. Moreover, as in FIG. 3A (c) where the above-mentionedcombination module 1295 and the appliance 1250 are combined into oneunit 1290, the air-conditioner 42 and home automation (HA) adapter1_14-1 are combined into one unit 1290, the television 44 and theautomation (HA) adapter 2_14-2 are combined into one unit 1290, alaundry 46 and home automation (HA) adapter 3_14-3 are combined into oneunit 1290, and a power socket or a table tap 48 and home automation (HA)adapter 4_14-4 are combined into one unit 1290.

In the description corresponding to FIG. 38 and subsequent figures, therobot cleaner 16 will be regarded as an example of an automatic controlenabled smart household appliance, and the air-conditioner 42 and thetelevision 44 will be regarded as examples of associated smart householdappliances. However, any appliances, which can be connected to the homenetwork and can be automatically switched to operating state based onthe behavior of a user or the result of estimation/determination of theuser, may be regarded as automatic control enabled smart householdappliances. Further, in this case, the other appliances connected to thehome network may be regarded as associated smart household appliances.

Further, as shown in FIG. 38, the appliance controller 240 is built intothe robot cleaner 16 as an example of the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance. The appliance controller 240 performs controlcorresponding to the operating mode of the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance. A specific function thereof enables the robotcleaner 16 to be automatically set in a nonoperating state or in anon-intrusive mode, as will be described later. The appliance controller240 may be referred to as an automatic smart household appliancecontroller. That is, the smart household appliance controller (appliancecontroller 240) for automatically setting the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) in the nonoperating stateor the non-intrusive mode is built into the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance (robot leaner 16). Moreover, as shown in FIG.38, a memory 242 is built into the robot cleaner 16 and pre-stores dataneeded for estimating/determining the behavior or state of the user(step 75 in FIG. 39).

A cleaning function unit in the robot cleaner 16 corresponds to anactuator module 270 shown in FIG. 38. A place in the robot cleaner 16,which is used to realize an obstacle detection function or a cleaningplace automatic determination function, using, for example, a built-incamera, corresponds to a sensor module 260 in FIG. 38.

On the other hand, a processor 1230 is built into the home gateway 10(corresponding to the system α_1132 in FIG. 2), and is also used toperform control corresponding to the operating mode of the automaticcontrol enabled smart household appliance. The processor 1230 canautomatically set the robot cleaner 16 in the nonoperating state or thenon-intrusive mode, like the above-mentioned appliance controller 240.Therefore, the processor 1230 can also be regarded as a kind ofautomatic smart household appliance controller mentioned above.Accordingly, when the processor 1230 in the home gateway 10 controls therobot cleaner 16, the above-mentioned automatic smart householdappliance controller (processor 1230) is provided outside the automaticcontrol enabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16). Similarly,a memory 1232 is built into the home gateway 10, and pre-stores dataneeded for estimating/determining the behavior or state of the user(step 75 in FIG. 39).

If the home gateway 10 is realized as a personal computer, its displayand keyboard correspond to a user interface 1234. In contrast, if thehome gateway 10 is realized as a tablet or a smartphone, aninput-enabled display screen corresponds to the user interface 1234.

Although not shown in FIG. 38, the home network system 1 (system α_1132)incorporates a large number of combination modules 1295 that existindependently of each other. A human sensor, a light sensor and a windsensor, which each have a communication function and serve as asensor/communication module 1460 as a kind of combination module 1295,are installed individually (or in a combined manner) to thereby enablehuman sensor data 602, light sensor data 606 and wind sensor data 608 tobe obtained, as will be described later referring to FIG. 43.

Section 6.2 Outline of Control Method for Automatic Control EnabledSmart Household Appliances

The system of the embodiment (smart household appliance automaticcontrol system) combines information obtained from various sensors andassociated smart household appliances, and estimates/determines thebehavior, stator request of the user, thereby appropriately controllingthe automatic control enabled smart household appliances (and whennecessary, the associated smart household appliances) based on theestimation/determination result. As a result, high-quality services canbe provided to the user. In the method for realizing this, first, asensor and associated smart household appliance as informationcollection targets are automatically selected, based on the basicfunction and/or installation place of an automatic control enabled smarthousehold appliance. Next, the behavior, state or request of the user isestimated/determined, using determination information (determinationtable) (which will be described later with reference to FIG. 43)pre-stored in the memory 242 or 1232 shown in FIG. 38. Based on theestimation/determination result and information obtained from theassociated smart household appliances, the operating state ouchassociated smart household appliance may be changed beforehand. In thatcase, the changed operating state of each associated smart householdappliance is returned to its original state after the operation of theautomatic control enabled smart household appliance is completed.

Referring to FIG. 39, the above-mentioned method will be described indetail. As described above, the process shown in FIG. 39 may beperformed by the appliance controller 240 (shown in FIG. 38) in therobot cleaner 16, or by the processor 1230 (shown in FIG. 38) in thehome gateway 10 (system controller α_1126). Alternatively, an appliancecontroller (not shown) in another smart household appliance may performthe process. Yet alternatively, the appliance controller 240 and theprocessor 1230 may cooperate to perform the process, or may share rolesfor realizing the process.

A description will hereinafter be given of a method of controlling therobot cleaner 16 as a specific example of the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance. However, in the system of the embodiment(i.e., the smart household appliance automatic control system), thecontrol shown in FIG. 39 may be performed on all smart householdappliances connected via a network.

First, in step 71, the user presets control conditions for the automaticcontrol enabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) through theuser interface 1234 in the home gateway 10. At this time, the user seessuch a screen as shown in FIG. 40. Only when the user sets an item“Automatic cleaning” in the ON state, such automatic control of theautomatic control enabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16)as shown in FIG. 39 is started. In contrast, when the user sets the item“Automatic cleaning” in the OFF state, the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) is manually operated. Inthe system of the embodiment, the user can finely set conditions forcontrolling the automatic control enabled smart household appliance toan optimal operating state, based on a result ofestimation/determination of the behavior and/or state of the user.

In the embodiment, such specific control conditions as follows arefinely set by instructing the user to select “On” or “Off”:

Whether the operating state corresponds to cleaning performed when theuser is sleeping (non-intrusive mode)

Whether the operating state corresponds to cleaning performed when theuser is working (non-intrusive mode)

Whether the operating state corresponds to cleaning performed when theuser is away from home

The term “non-intrusive mode” means an operating state in which, forexample, their volume displacement of the robot cleaner 16 is set low tothereby reduce the force of the draft at its exit, or the rotationalspeed of its air-intake motor is reduced to reduce the volume of sound.Further, when the user sets “Inhibition of (Not corresponding to)cleaning during staying out,” the operating state corresponds to anonoperating state (no cleaning) when the user is away from home. Thus,in the embodiment, by a method of controlling the operating mode of anautomatic control enabled smart household appliance having acommunication function, the automatic control enabled smart householdappliance can be automatically set in the nonoperating state or thenon-intrusive mode. That is, since an automatic control enabled smarthousehold appliance (such as the robot cleaner 16) is automaticallyswitched to an optimal operating state in accordance with the behavioror state of the user, comfortable living environment can be provided tothe user when the automatic control enabled smart household appliance(such as the robot cleaner 16) is operated. It should be noted thatinformation needed for estimating/determining the behavior or state ofthe user differs between the above-mentioned control conditions.

When the start of operation of the automatic control enabled smarthousehold appliance (robot cleaner 16) has been instructed by the userin step 72 of FIG. 39, firstly, the current position of the automaticcontrol enabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) isconfirmed in step 73. As means for confirming the current position ofthe automatic control enabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner),a Global Positioning System (GPS) function may be imparted to theautomatic control enabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16).Alternatively, the method described in Section 4.4 referring to FIGS. 31to 34 may be used.

Subsequently, in step 74, other associated smart household appliances(network-connected appliances other than the robot cleaner 16, such asthe air-conditioner 42, the television 44, etc., shown in FIG. 38)associated with the automatic control enabled smart household appliance(robot cleaner 16), and necessary, associated sensor combination modulesincluding the above-mentioned human sensor, the light sensor, the windsensor, etc.), are selected, necessary information is collected from theassociated smart household appliances, and information (such as thehuman sensor data 602, the light sensor data 606 and the wind sensordata 608) is collected from the associated sensors (combinationmodules). From the above-mentioned other associated smart householdappliance and associated sensors (combination modules), information,which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 41 and 42, istransmitted.

It requires a lot of time and labor to collect information, in step 74,from all smart household appliances and sensors (combination modules)installed in the house. However, the system of the embodiment ischaracterized in that only other associated smart household appliancesand associated sensors (combination modules), which are necessary forautomatically setting the current operating state of the automaticcontrol enabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16), areautomatically selected, and that information is collected only from theselected appliances and combination modules. This structure shortens thetime required for information collection and improves the efficiency ofthe information collection.

In particular, in the system of the embodiment the current positioninformation of the automatic control enabled smart household appliance(robot cleaner 16) collected in advance in step 73 may be used for theselection of other smart household appliances and sensors (combinationmodules) associated with the automatic control enabled smart householdappliance (robot cleaner 16). That is, in general, most ordinary housesare each divided into a plurality of sections (rooms) 1142, and isefficient to provide services to the respective sections (rooms) 1142 asdescribed in Chapter 4. In view of this, based on information associatedwith a section (room) 1142 in which the automatic control enabled smarthousehold appliance (robot cleaner 16) has been detected in step 73,only other smart household appliances and sensors (combination modules)installed in this section (room) 1142 are defined as associated smarthousehold appliances and associated sensors (combination modules).Necessary information is acquired only from these associated smarthousehold appliances and associated sensors (combination modules).

After necessary information is collected from the associated smarthousehold appliances and associated sensors by the above-mentionedmethod, the behavior and/or state of the user is estimated/determined instep 75. At this time, the information (control table) of FIG. 43 isused, which shows optimal operating states of the automatic controlenabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) corresponding torespective control conditions selected by the user. FIG. 43 will bedescribed later. Based on the result of estimation/determination relatedto the behavior and/or state of the user, obtained in step 75, theoptimal operating states of the associated smart household appliancesand associated sensors are automatically determined in step 76. Insteadof using the information of FIG. 43, an algorithm for automaticallydetermining optimal operating states based on information obtained fromthe associated smart household appliances and associated sensors may beprepared in advance, as will be described later with reference to FIG.45.

The robot cleaner 16 may “output a sound during operation” or “blowexhaust air.” Therefore, when the robot cleaner 16 operates during theoperation of the television 44 or an audio player, the sound of thetelevision 44 or the audio player may be interfered to thereby annoyingthe user. When the user is performing something (for example, viewingthe television 44 or the audio player), if they sets, in thenon-intrusive mode, the robot cleaner during cleaning, to avoid theabove, the following automatic services are provided to reduce user'sannoyance:

a) The volume of the sound produced by the robot cleaner 16 is reduced;and

b) The volume of the reproduction appliance is temporarily increased.

Similarly, if the air-conditioner 42 is operating, the followingautomatic services are provided to reduce user's annoyance:

a) The exhaustion amount of the robot cleaner is reduced; and

b) The draft force of the air-conditioner is reduced (to prevent dustfrom stirring up).

The above-mentioned operations b) correspond to control of changing theoperating states of the associated smart household appliances written instep 78 of FIG. 39. Further, the above-mentioned operations a)correspond to control of the operation of the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) under optimal operatingconditions, written as the former half process of step 79.

A description will now be given of other services provided when the usersets “Permission of cleaning during staying out” as a preset mode. Forinstance, when departure of the user for home is very late, a state mayoccur where the automatic control enabled smart household appliance(robot cleaner 16) automatically operates (performs cleaning) at nightdark outside. At this time, if the lighting of a room where theautomatic control enabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16)is operating (cleaning) is off, this is regarded as a situation “inwhich the operating sound of the automatic control enabled smarthousehold appliance (robot cleaner 16) sounds although the lighting ofthe room is off.” In this case, neighbors may well misunderstand that “athief is in the room.” To prevent such a misunderstanding, the LEDlighting 58 (shown in FIG. 38) as an associated smart householdappliance may be automatically turned on when the automatic controlenabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) is operating.

Another embodiment, in which “Permission of cleaning during sleep(non-intrusive mode)” is set as the user preset mode, will be described.When the user goes to bed at night, the LED lighting 58 in the room isusually off. Accordingly, if the LED lighting 58 is off late at night,it may be automatically determined that the user is asleep, therebyautomatically setting the operating state of the automatic controlenabled smart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) in thenon-intrusive mode.

However, when “Inhibition of cleaning during sleep” is set as the userpreset mode, if the lighting of the LED lighting 58 is off, it isautomatically determined that the user is asleep, thereby setting theoperating state of the automatic control enabled smart householdappliance (robot cleaner 16) in the nonoperating state.

As described above, in the system of the embodiment, the automaticcontrol enabled smart household appliance corresponds to the robotcleaner, and the associated smart household appliance corresponds theair-conditioner, television or lighting appliance. Further, when theassociated smart household appliance is operating, the automatic controlenabled smart household appliance is automatically set in thenonoperating state or the non-intrusive mode. Since, thus, the operatingstate of the automatic control enabled smart household appliance (robotcleaner 16) is switched in accordance with the operating state of theassociated smart household appliance (air-conditioner, television, orlighting appliance), it is always optimal to the behavior or state ofthe user, whereby the user can be provided with a comfortable livingenvironment.

It is desirable to start operation of the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) after control of changingthe operating state of the associated smart household appliance(television 44/the audio player or the air-conditioner 42) is performedin the order of steps 78 and 79 of FIG. 39. The gap between thecompletion time of a change in the operating state of the associatedsmart household appliance and the start time of the operation of theautomatic control enabled smart household appliance is very important.If the completion time of the change is completely identical to the tarttime of the operation, some people may temporarily notice crosstalkbecause of a residual hearing effect (an effect that residual soundremains in the brain) as inner working of the brain. It is known thatabout 0.05 to 1 second (0.2 to 3 seconds depending upon a person) isrequired for the sound produced by an associated smart householdappliance, such as the television 44 or the audio player, to enter theears of a person, and to be converted into a sound signal, transmittedto the brain and processed therein. Therefore, in the embodiment, thetime required from the completion of step 78 to the start of subsequentstep 79 is set to 0.05 seconds or more, and more desirably to 0.02seconds or more. In contrast, if the time from the completion of step 78to the start of subsequent step 79 is too long, the user may find itnoticeable. In the audio/video field, there is an expression “0.5-secondrule.” According to this rule, it is considered that if a sound-sourceswitching period is 0.5 seconds or less, ordinary people do not have asense of discomfort. Therefore, in the embodiment, the time requiredfrom the completion of step 78 to the start of subsequent step 79 isdesirably set to 0.5 seconds or less. Moreover, some people can wait fortwo to five seconds, and hence the above-mentioned time must be set to 5seconds or less at maximum. By setting as described above the gapbetween the completion time of a change in the operating state of theassociated smart household appliance and the start time of the operationof the automatic control enabled smart household appliance, the user isprevented from feeling discomfort because of temporal sound sourcecrosstalk or temporal drawling, and is provided with pleasantenvironment.

In contrast, during operation, the automatic control enabled smarthousehold appliance (robot cleaner) may suddenly stop because of batteryexhaustion or some internal trouble. At this time, in the system of theembodiment, abnormality coping processing (latter half of step 79) isperformed to report the abnormal state to the home gateway 10 (systemcontroller α_1126) at home, or to a mobile appliance used outside, suchas a tablet or a smartphone (which is regarded as a kind of home gateway10 [system controller β_1128]).

As described above, since the robot cleaner 16 can move betweendifferent rooms (sections 1142), it is necessary to repeat processingfrom step 73 to step 79 while appropriately grasping the currentposition of the automatic control enabled smart household appliance(robot cleaner 16). After the operation of the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance (robot cleaner 16) is completed, the situationof the associated smart household appliance changed in step 80 of thelast loop is returned to its original state, and the operationtermination of the automatic control enabled smart household appliance(robot cleaner 16) reported to the user (step 81).

In the embodiment, the robot cleaner 16 is used as an example of theautomatic control enabled smart household appliance that is made toexecute the process of FIG. 39. However, the system of the embodiment isnot limited to this, but a smart household appliance having acommunication function, such as an alarm clock or a flashlight, may beused as an example of the automatic control enabled smart householdappliance. For example, when an alarm clock is used, “the volume of thetelevision 44 or the audio player is increased,” or “the air-conditioner42 is operated,” may be made to correspond to the operation of theassociated appliance changed in step 78. In this case, in step 80,continuation or re-change of the operating state, such as “continuingthe operating state of the associated appliance (air-conditioner 42 ortelevision 44)” or “changing the set temperature of the associatedappliance (air-conditioner 42 or television 44),” may be performed,instead of “returning, to an original state, the operating state of theassociated appliance (air-conditioner 42 or television 44).”

An automatic control enabled smart household appliance, which isrequired to perform a high-level operation like the robot cleaner 16,contains the appliance controller 240 equivalent to a processor, and thememory 242, and the appliance controller 240 can perform control shownin FIG. 39. However, if an automatic control enabled smart householdappliance that requires only a very simple function (such as an alarmclock) contains the appliance controller 240 or the memory 242, itbecomes rather expensive. In the system of the embodiment, to overcomethis problem, only an actuator/communication module 1470 (see FIG. 4C(a)), which comprises only an actuator module 1670 for generating onlyan alarm sound and a communication module 1666 formed integral with themodule 1670, may be contained in the alarm clock, thereby causing theprocessor 1230 in the home gateway 10 (system controller α_1126) toperform control as shown in FIG. 39. In this case, information (table),as shown in FIG. 43, for estimating/determining the behavior or state ofthe user, and/or information (control table) that defines the optimaloperating states of the automatic control enabled smart householdappliance (robot cleaner 16) and an associated smart household appliance(television 44/audio player or the air-conditioner 42) corresponding toeach control condition selected by the user, are pre-stored in thememory 1232 in the home gateway 10 (system controller α_1126). Byemploying this method, an automatic control enabled smart householdappliance having a high cost performance can be provided to the user,which enables the system of the embodiment to be easily spread.

Section 6.3 Communication Information for Communicating with AssociatedSmart Household Appliance

Referring now to FIGS. 41 and 42, a description will be given of anexample of communication data transmitted by an associated smarthousehold appliance in step 74 of FIG. 39. The data structure shown inFIGS. 41 and 42 indicates detailed data content based on the E-formatalready described referring to FIG. 15A. However, information may beobtained from the associated smart household appliance, based on theA-format described referring to FIG. 15B, and a G-format having a datastructure similar to the A-format.

A description will now be given of examples of communication informationfrom the television 44 and the air-conditioner 42 arranged in the sameroom and serving as examples of associated smart household appliances.That is, air-conditioner status information 422, sleep-mode instructioninformation 424, and start/end time instruction information items426/428, which are examples of communication information from theair-conditioner 42 shown in FIG. 41, will be described. On the otherhand, examples of communication information from the television 44 shownin FIG. 42 include video/audio output information 442, volumeinstruction information 444, recording/non-recording instructioninformation 446, and TV program information 448 indicating currentlyreproduced/displayed TV programs.

The TV program information 448 means numbers automatically incrementedand sequentially allocated to TV programs to be viewed by the user(i.e., to be reproduced/displayed by the television) during a day. Thesenumbers are incremented one by one whenever the user switches thechannel, and are allocated to individual exchange information EDT in theTV program data 448 in FIG. 42 (e). Moreover, from TV programinformation obtained vi a the Internet, the time of switching programson the broadcast side can be automatically determined. Whenever a TVprogram is switched, the number is incremented by one and rewritten inthe same place. Thus, the end time of a certain TV program is known. Inthe embodiment, by imparting the TV program information 448 ascommunication information from the television 44, the end time of thecertain TV program (considering channel switching by the user duringbroadcasting the TV program) can be automatically determined. Aconsideration will be given to a case, as a scene exhibiting the effectof the above processing, where the user has set, in step 71 of FIG. 39,“inhibition of cleaning only during a period of displaying a particularTV program.” In this case, a moment at which the value of the TV programinformation 448 has changed can be automatically recognized as the endtime of the above-mentioned TV program. This enables a service ofresuming cleaning immediately after the completion of the particular TVprogram to be provided to the user.

In order to acquire necessary communication information in step 74 ofFIG. 39 from an associated smart household appliance (television 44 orair-conditioner 42) or from the combination module 1295 (including thehuman sensor, the light sensor, or the wind sensor), a plurality ofspecific information communication steps are further required. That is,the following is performed:

1) An information communication request is transmitted to the associatedsmart household appliance or the combination module 1295.

2) In response to the request, the associated smart household applianceor the combination module 1295 performs answer informationcommunication.

More specifically, an information communication request is issued(transmitted) to the air-conditioner 42 and the television 44 asassociated smart household appliances to operate. In this case,information including 62h (h represents hexadecimal, and 62h is 01100010in binary), which indicates “a read request,” is transmitted from therobot cleaner 16 or the home gateway 10 (system controller α_1126) tothe air-conditioner 42 or the television 44, unlike the cases of FIGS.41(c) and 42 (c).

FIG. 41 shows information transmitted as the answer from theair-conditioner 42 to the source of the request, and FIG. 42 showsinformation transmitted as the answer from the television 44 to thesame. Since at this time, the information is “an answer to the readrequest,” a value set in communication access control information ESV is72h (01110010 in binary).

Since information indicating the operating state of the air-conditioner42, which is first transmitted as the answer, is “air-conditioneroperating information 422” as shown in FIG. 41 (d), 80h is set inidentification information EPC indicating exchange information type asshown in FIG. 41 (f). If the air-conditioner 42 is in an operatingstate, the individual exchange information EDT, in which 30h is set, istransmitted as the answer, while if the air-conditioner 42 is in anon-operating state, the individual exchange information EDT, in which31h is set, is transmitted as the answer.

Information to be subsequently transmitted is the sleep-mode instructioninformation 424, and hence 8Fh is set in the identification informationEPG indicating exchange information type. Further, if theair-conditioned 2 is in a sleep mode, the individual exchangeinformation EDT, in which 41h is set, is transmitted, while if theair-conditioner 42 is in a non-sleep mode, the individual exchangeinformation EDT, in which 42h is set, is transmitted.

Information items to be subsequently transmitted are start/end timeinstruction information items 426/428 as shown in FIG. 41 (d), and hence90h and 94h are set in the respective identification information itemsEPC. If the start or end time of the air-conditioner 42 is programmed,41h is set in the corresponding individual exchange information EDT. Incontrast, if there is no such programming, the respective individualexchange information items EDT, in which 42h is set, are transmitted asanswers.

Only for the air-conditioner status information 422 that indicates abasic function, a different combination of ON/OFF values is set in theindividual exchange information EDT. For information indicating theother statuses, the same combination of ON/OFF values is set. By thussetting the same combination of ON/OFF values in the individual exchangeinformation EDT corresponding to various statues, the informationreading speed of the automatic control enabled smart household appliance(robot cleaner 16) side can be increased.

Moreover, as shown in (d) to (f) of FIG. 42, the “video/audio outputinformation 442” (the value of the corresponding identificationinformation EPC indicating exchange information type is 80h), the“volume instruction information 444” (the value of the correspondingidentification information EPC indicating exchange information type isB8h), the “recording/non-recording instruction information” (the valueof the corresponding identification information EPC indicating exchangeinformation type is C1h), and the “currently reproduced/displayed TVprogram information” (the value of the corresponding identificationinformation EPC indicating exchange information type is BCh) aretransmitted in the order mentioned from the television 44 to the robotcleaner 16 or to the home gateway 10 (system controller α_1126). Thevalues written in the column of the individual exchange information EDTwithin the volume instruction information 444 are set to relative valuesobtained assuming that the maximum volume is 100% and the minimum volume(audio output zero) is 0%, the value obtained at the maximum volume of100% being set to 64h and the value obtained at the minimum volume of 0%being set to 00h. Further, a combination of ON/OFF set values in theindividual exchange information EDT for the video/audio outputinformation 442 indicating the basic function (indicating whether thetelevision 44 is in the ON state or the OFF state) is 30h/31h, whichcoincide with those of FIG. 41.

As described above, the same combination of ON/OFF set values (i.e.,30h/31h) is set for the basic function of various associated smarthousehold appliances, thereby increasing the information reading speedof the automatic control enabled smart household appliance (robotcleaner) side. Similarly, the same combination of ON/OFF values (i.e.,41h/42h) is set in the other individual exchange information items EDT(related to recording/non-recording instruction information) of theassociated smart household appliances, thereby increasing theinformation reading speed of the automatic control enabled smarthousehold appliance (robot cleaner) side.

Section 6.4 Method of Estimating/Determining Behavior and State of User

FIG. 43 shows a relationship example between information required toestimate/determine the behavior or state of the user and theabove-described control conditions. In FIG. 43, respective controlconditions are arranged horizontally, and operating state informationitems of each of the associated smart household appliances andcombination modules (sensors) are arranged vertically.

Furthermore, in each cell as an intersection between each controlcondition and a corresponding status information item, the degree ofassociation between them is written. Therefore, blanks (cells with nodata) in the central and right-hand portions in FIG. 43 show thatoperating states corresponding to estimation/determination materialassociated with the control conditions are not used. For instance,information associated with the “human sensor data 602” and the“start/end time instruction information items 426/428” in theair-conditioner is not used for control condition determination of“cleaning (in a non-intrusive mode) during working of the user.”

The important thing here lies in that under different control conditionsselected by the user, different information is needed forestimating/determining the behavior or state of the user, and differentassociated smart household appliances and different associatedcombination modules (sensors) are regarded as targets of informationcollection. Furthermore, depending upon the basic function (such ascleaning, freezing, air-conditioning, information collection oramusement) of the automatic control enabled smart household appliance,different associated smart household appliances and differentcombination modules (sensors) are regarded as targets of informationcollection.

In particular, when the automatic control enabled smart householdappliance is the robot cleaner 16, it should be noted that the positionof the robot cleaner 16 is automatically changed. That is, the robotcleaner 16 can move over different rooms (sections 1 to m [1142-1 to1142 m] in FIG. 1) in a house or an office. The position of the robotcleaner 16, which changes every moment, becomes important inestimating/determining the behavior or state of the user. In view ofthis, when the robot cleaner 16 has moved from an unoccupied room to aroom where the user is working (during movement between sections 1142),it is necessary for the system of the embodiment to automatically detectthis movement and recollect information from other associated smarthousehold appliances and associated combination modules (sensors). Tothis end, in the system of the embodiment, other associated smarthousehold appliances and associated combination modules (sensors) areautomatically reselected in accordance with the type (basic functionand/or position) of the automatic control enabled smart householdappliance, or with a control condition selected by the user.

The above description is related to a method of acquiring, fromassociated smart household appliances, such as the air-conditioner 42and the television 44, information used to estimate/determine controlconditions set by the user, i.e., whether the user is asleep, working orabsent (unoccupied room state). However, the embodiment is not limitedto this, but may use the human sensor data 602, the light sensor data606, and the wind sensor data 608. For example, if the light sensor (ora combination module containing the light sensor) detects light in aroom late at night, the user may be working. In contrast, if the lightsensor data 606 indicates that the “room is dark,” it is stronglypossible that the user is absent (the room is unoccupied) or is asleep.Further, the human sensor data 602 detects motion of the user. If theuser is absent (the room is unoccupied) or asleep, the output of thehuman sensor may well be low.

If the information (table) of FIG. 43 is used to estimate/determine thebehavior or state of the user (step 75 in FIG. 39), the correspondencebetween each control condition and the operating state of eachassociated smart household appliance/combination module (sensor) isconverted into a numerical value. For example, a relatively highpositive value is assigned to “applicable” written in each cell(corresponding field) in FIG. 43, a relatively low positive value isassigned to “possible,” and a relatively high negative value is assignedto “inapplicable.” The individual exchange information items EDT, whichare included in information items output from the air-conditioner 42,the television 44, the human sensor, the light sensor and the windsensor (or combination modules including these sensors) and correspondto the above-mentioned “applicable,” “possible” and “inapplicable,” areconverted into the respective numerical values described above.

Next, the numerical values, which belong to particular controlconditions of FIG. 40 set by the user, are vertically accumulated toobtain addition values regarding the corresponding control conditions.Further, in step 75 of FIG. 39, it is determined whether the additionvalue falls within a predetermined range to thereby automaticallyestimate/determine the behavior or state of the user. The tableinformation in FIG. 43 is pre-stored in the memory 242 or the memory1232 in FIG. 38, and is used by the appliance controller 240 of therobot cleaner 16 or by the processor 1230 of the home gateway 10 (systemcontroller α_1126) to perform estimation/determination.

The above description has been given of the method of performingestimation/determination at a time for each control condition selectedby the user using the table information of FIG. 43. However, the systemis not limited to this, but may be modified, as described laterreferring to, for example, FIG. 45, such that an algorithm(determination rule) for detecting a control condition (an operatingstate to be set for the automatic control enabled smart householdappliance) is preset based on information collected from associatedsmart household appliances and combination modules (sensors).

Moreover, as another applied example, the user state item 2320, the useraction item 2340 and the user request item 2360 may be simultaneouslyestimated/determined using the estimation/determination collating tableof FIG. 27, as described in Section 4.3.

Section 6.5 Another Embodiment Directed to Automatic Control BetweenSmart Household Appliances

Regarding a series of procedures in the present smart householdappliance automatic control system, FIG. 39 shows general procedures inwhich the automatic control enabled smart household appliance is notlimited to the robot cleaner (namely, procedures that are alsoapplicable to other automatic control enabled smart householdappliances). Referring now to FIG. 44, another embodiment will bedescribed in detail, in which the automatic control enabled smarthousehold appliance is limited to the robot cleaner.

Step 1 of FIG. 44 directed to processing of “Automatic cleaning settingOn” corresponds to step 71 of FIG. 39. The setting for the robot cleaner16 and associated smart household appliances (air-conditioner 42,television 44, etc.) can be performed from a remote place, using thehome gateway 10 (personal computer/tablet/smartphone). Thus the user canset the operating mode of the robot cleaner 16 (for example, whether thenonoperating state of FIG. 40 is set, or whether the cleaner should bemade to perform cleaning/photographing in the non-intrusive mode).

Next step 2 directed to determination as to “Lighting is On?” andsubsequent steps in FIG. 44 correspond to step 74 and subsequent stepsin FIG. 39. In FIG. 44, a step corresponding to step 73 of FIG. 39 isomitted intentionally for facilitating understanding. Similarly, tofacilitate understanding of processing in the automatic control enabledsmart household appliance, FIG. 44 shows a processing method that doesnot use the table information of FIG. 43. The method according to a flow(preset processing procedure) shown in FIG. 44, which does not use thetable information of FIG. 43, simplifies the processing and enables theautomatic control enabled smart household appliance to be made at lowcost.

In step 2 of FIG. 44, if the lighting with a network function is in theOn state, it is determined that the room is occupied. In this case, therobot cleaner 16 is not operated (the nonoperating state is set), or ismade to perform cleaning/photographing in the non-intrusive mode. Incontrast, if the lighting is in the Off state, it is determined that theuser is absent (the room is unoccupied) or is asleep, and the processingproceeds to step 11 to determine which state is assumed.

In step 11 of FIG. 44, it is determined whether the timer of theair-conditioner 42 is valid. As information indicating the operatingstate of the air-conditioner 42, the air-conditioner 42 (more strictly,home automation HA adapter 1 [combination module] 14-1) attached to theair-conditioner 42) transmits communication data having a data structureshown in FIG. 41. If the determination result of step 11 indicates thatthe timer of the air-conditioner is invalid (the timer is not set), itis determined that no one is in the room (the room is unoccupied), andcleaning is started (step 13). In contrast, if the timer of theair-conditioner is valid (the start-time instruction information 426 orthe end-time instruction information 428 in FIG. 43 is in the ON state),it is determined that the user is asleep, and the robot cleaner 16 isprevented from operating in the room for several hours after the timeris set (step 12). Alternatively, in step 12, cleaning may be performedin the non-intrusive mode, instead of no cleaning (setting thenonoperating state). In the embodiment, regardless of whether the robotcleaner 16 is in the non-intrusive-mode operating state or the normaloperating state, it is configured to photograph surroundings duringoperation, using a built-in photographing appliance (camera), therebyenabling the user to always confirm the cleaning state. Moreover, imagesobtained by photographing are displayed in real time on the userinterface 1234 (see FIG. 38) in the home gateway 10 (system controllerα_1126).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 2 that the lighting inthe room is in the On state, it is automatically estimated/determinedthat the room is occupied. In subsequent step 3, it is determinedwhether there is an appliance (an associated smart household appliancesuch as the television 44) that is operating and outputs sound. If atleast one appliance (for example, the television 44), which outputssound, is operating, it is determined that the user is in the room, andthe robot cleaner 16 is not operated (it is set to the nonoperatingstate), or is made to perform cleaning/photographing in thenon-intrusive mode. Steps 4 and 5 of FIG. 44 correspond to steps 76 to79 of FIG. 39. Further, step 10 of FIG. 44 corresponds to step 80 ofFIG. 39. That is, when the automatic control enabled smart householdappliance (robot cleaner 16) is made to perform cleaning/photographingin the non-intrusive mode during the operation of an associated smarthousehold appliance, such as the television 44, which outputs sound, thevolume of the associated smart household appliance (television 44) isincreased. After the cleaning/photographing of the room is completed,the volume of the smart household appliance related appliance(television 44) is returned to its original level (step 10).

As shown in FIG. 38, in the system of the embodiment, the robot cleaner16 and the home gateway 10 (system controller α_1126) can be connectedto the Internet (out-system network line 1788) via the broadband router12. Therefore, TV program information carte acquired from the Internet.This enables the robot cleaned 6 and the home gateway 10 (systemcontroller α_1126) to independently acquire information on a TV programcurrently executed/displayed on the television 44. In accordance withpre-setting made by the user, operation/non operation of the robotcleaner 16 is automatically switched. The automatic operation/nonoperation switching processing of the robot cleaner 16 and control (suchas a change in volume) of associated smart household appliances, such asthe television 44, may be executed by the robot cleaner 16 singly, or bythe home gateway 10 (system controller α_1126) in an integrated manner.

If the user presets the robot cleaner “no to perform cleaning duringbroadcasting a particular TV program,” the robot cleaner 16 is kept inthe nonoperating state during a display of the particular TV program(during a broadcast of this TV program, or during a period until theuser switches the display channel). After finishing the TV programdisplay, cleaning is resumed.

In the system of the embodiment, it can also be determined whether theair-conditioner 42 is set in the sleep mode, from the individualexchange information EDT in the sleep-mode instruction information 424recited in FIG. 41 (f), although FIG. 44 does not show it. However, itcan be detected by another similar method whether another smarthousehold appliance associated with the robot cleaner 16 is set in thesleep mode. If it has been estimated/determined that the user is asleep,the robot cleaner 16 carte set in the nonoperating state or can beoperated to perform cleaning in the non-intrusive mode.

Further, in the system of the embodiment, abnormality coping processing(step 79 of FIG. 39) can be performed during the operation of the robotcleaner 16, as is shown in steps 6 to 8 of FIG. 44. That is, if therobot cleaner 16 has stopped for some reason (step 6), “abnormal stop ofthe robot cleaner 16” is reported to an associated smart householdappliance located closest to the stop position of the robot cleaner 16.More specifically, if it is determined in step 6 that the robot cleaner16 has stopped, the position information of a smart household applianceassociated with the robot cleaner 16 (i.e., a smart household appliancelocated in a room [section 1142] where the stopped robot cleaner 16exists) is collected. As means for collecting the position information,the respective GPS functions of the robot cleaner 16 and each associatedsmart household appliance may be used, or the method described inSection 4.4 referring to FIGS. 31 to 34 may be used. After detecting theassociated smart household appliance located closes to the stop positionof the robot cleaner 16 (step 7), a message “abnormal stop of the robotcleaner 16” is displayed on the display screen of this associated smarthousehold appliance to report it to the user (step 8). As a method ofreporting “abnormal stop of the robot cleaner 16” to the user, a voicemessage may be output instead of the above-mentioned screen display.Furthermore, the appliance for reporting the above to the user is notlimited to the associated smart household appliance located closest tothe stop position of the robot cleaner 16, but may be, for example, therobot cleaner 16 itself or the user interface 1234 of the home gateway10 (system controller α_1126). Yet alternatively, an arbitrary smarthousehold appliance may report it to the user.

As the method of estimating/determining the behavior or state of theuser in step 75 of FIG. 39, a method of using the table information ofFIG. 43 is employed in Section 6.4. FIG. 45 shows yet another methodthat can be used in place of the above-mentioned method. That is, if theuser does not set automatic cleaning, the estimation/determination ofthe user's behavior or state is stopped in step 22.

In contrast, if the user sets automatic cleaning in step 21, it isdetermined first in step 23 whether the television 44 is executing adisplay operation. If the television 44 is determined to be executing adisplay operation, the user (person) may be present in a room where thetelevision 44 is located. If the television 44 is executing a displayoperation, it is determined in step 27 whether a current flows in a wallsocket. Further, the target of detection is not limited to the currentflowing through the wall socket, but may be a current flowing through anextension cord or a table tap (in this case, the extension cord or thetable tap has a combination module structure that comprises a sensormodule for measuring a current flowing through the extension cord ortable tap, and a communication module for transmitting the result ofmeasurement). If an excessive current flows through the wall socket orthe extension cord/table tap in the room (section 1142) where the robotcleaner 16 is now placed, this means that a certain appliance is workingin the room (section 1142). Accordingly, in this case, it isautomatically determined that “the user is working.” Further, if theuser sets “Cleaning during working (non-intrusive mode)” in step 71 ofFIG. 39, using a display screen as shown in FIG. 40 (step 31), cleaningis performed in the non-intrusive mode in step 42. In contrast, if“Cleaning during working (non-intrusive mode)” is not set in step 31,the nonoperating state is assumed (step 41).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 27 that no excessivecurrent flows through the wall socket or the extension cord/table tap inthe room (section 1142) where the robot cleaner 16 is now placed, it isstrongly possible that the user is asleep. Further, if the user sets“Cleaning during sleep (non-intrusive mode)” in step 71 of FIG. 39,using a display screen as shown in FIG. 40 (step 31), cleaning isperformed in the non-intrusive mode in step 42. In contrast, if“Cleaning during sleep (non-intrusive mode)” is not set in step 32, thenonoperating state is assumed (step 41).

If it is determined in step 23 that the television 44 is not operating,it is determined in step 24 whether the LED lighting 58 is lit. If theLED lighting 58 in the room (section 1142) is lighting late at night, itis estimated that the user (person) is in the room (section 1142). Afterthat, a current flowing through the wall socket (or the extensioncord/table tap) is measured in step 27, thereby performing the sameprocessing as described above.

If it is determined in step 24 that the LED lighting 58 (FIG. 38) is notlit, the wind sensor data 608 acquired from the wind sensor (or thecombination module 1295 containing the sensor) is checked. If there is adraft in the room (section 1142), which means that the air-conditioner42 is operating or the user opens a window to let the air in, i.e., thatit is strongly possible that the user is in the room (section 1142).

If it is determined that there is a draft in the room (section 1142), itis determined in step 26 whether the air-conditioner 42 is operating. Ifthe air-conditioner 42 is operating, it is estimated that the user(person) is in the room (section 1142), like the above-mentioned case.After that, a current flowing through the wall socket (or the extensioncord/table tap) is measured in step 27, thereby performing the sameprocessing as described above.

Further, if it is determined as a result of step 26 that theair-conditioner 42 is not operating, the light sensor data 606 iscollected from the light sensor (from the combination module containingthe light sensor). At this time, if the room (section 1142) is dark, itmay well be night, and hence processing proceeds to step 32 where it isdetermined whether cleaning is permitted during sleep. In contrast, ifthe room (section 1142) is bright, it may well be daytime, and henceprocessing proceeds to step 29 where it is determined whether thepresence of human has been detected.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 25 that there is no draftin the room (section 1142), it is determined in step 29 whether the user(person) s in the room (section 1142), using the human sensor data 602acquired in step 29 from the humans sensor (from the combination module1295 containing the human sensor).

If it is determined from the human sensor data 602 that the user(person) is in the room (section 1142), either “non-operating state” or“cleaning in the non-intrusive mode” is automatically set for the robotcleaner 16. To this end, it is checked in step 32 whether “cleaning ispermitted during sleep.”

In contrast, if it is determined in step 29 that there is no detectionof human, it is determined that the user (person) is not in the room(section 1142), and hence it is determined in step 33 whether “cleaningis permitted during staying out”

In addition, in the embodiment, if a draft has been detected in step 25,or if the operation of the air-conditioner has been detected in step 26,the robot cleaner 16 may be set in the non-operating state or thecleaning route may be changed, because if the robot cleaning performs acleaning operation in that case, it is strongly possible that dust willbe stirred up. As examples of changed cleaning routes, only rooms otherthan the room in which a draft has been detected may be cleaned, orcleaning is concentrated on a downstream area in the room with respectto the direction of the draft. That is, in this case, not only theexistence of a draft but also the direction of the draft may bedetected.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   1 client network system usable in a house (system α)-   10 home gateway (system controller α)-   12 broadband router-   14-1 to 14-4 home automation adapter-   (combination module)-   16 robot cleaner-   40 combination module-   42 air-conditioner-   44 television-   46 laundry-   48 socket or table tap-   56 camera monitoring contents stored in refrigerator-   58 light emitting diode-   202 communicator module-   240 device controller-   242 memory-   260 sensor module-   270 actuator module-   422 air-conditioner status information-   424 sleep-mode instruction information-   426 start-timing instruction information-   428 end-timing instruction information-   442 video/audio output information-   444 volume instruction information-   446 information on recording mode or not recording mode-   448 TV program information regarding current presentation (numeral    information in today's TV programs)-   488 actual electric current passing through the corresponding socket-   602 human sensor data-   606 light sensor data-   608 wind sensor data-   780 line between routers-   1102 wholesale firm B1 to B2-   1104-1, 1104-2 wholesale firm B1 to B2-   1112-1 to 1112-3 service provider A to C-   1114 data and resource sharing-   1116-1 to 1116-n server 1 to n-   1118-1 to 1118-n database-   1122-1 to 1122-3 domain 1 to 3-   1124 smart meter-   1126 system controller α-   1128 system controller β-   1132 system α-   1134 system β-   1142-1 to 1142-m section 1 to m-   1152 product manufacturing area-   1154 product storage area-   1202-1 to 1202-10 communication module-   1206 block monitoring outflow amount-   1208 block monitoring inflow amount-   1212 outflow controller-   1214 inflow controller-   1216 block monitoring outflow amount-   1218 block monitoring inflow amount-   1220 (car) battery-   1222 sensor module-   1226 display module-   1230 processor-   1232, 1242, 1244, 1240 memory-   1234 user interface-   1240-1 to 1240-3 device controller (processor)-   1242 memory-   1244 memory-   1246 memory-   1248 memory-   1250-1 to 1250-5 device-   1260-1 to 1260-9 sensor module-   1270-1 to 1270-4 actuator module-   1290-1 to 1290-7 unit-   1295-1 to 1295-7 combination module-   1300 router (gateway) including a battery-   1330 processor-   1406, 1416 outflow monitoring combination module-   1408, 1418 inflow monitoring combination module-   1412 outflow controller combination module-   1414 inflow controller combination module-   1440 different function module (other than communication function)-   1444 distant link-   1450-1 to 1450-4 device-   1460-1 to 1460-5 sensor combination module-   1465 processor combination module-   1470-1, 1470-2 actuator combination module-   1475 memory combination module-   1478 display combination module-   1480 antenna-   1490 busline-   1552 solar electricity generator module-   1554 battery charger module (battery)-   1560 near-field communication module-   1602 input terminal-   1604 output terminal-   1606 voltage output terminal-   1608 infrared light generator-   1610 variable resistance-   1614 on/off selector-   1618 predetermined voltage generator-   1620 configured resistance value memory-   1624 configured status memory-   1628 configured voltage memory-   1644 format converter-   1648 infrared light driving circuit-   1660 communication module-   1660-1 insulated substrate on which a communicator module is formed-   1666 communicator module including an antenna-   1670 actuator module-   1680 processor module-   1690 memory module-   1700 communication controller-   1710 interface-   1734 processor-   1736 processor-   1738 processor-   1740 recording area of data related to management data (table)-   1742, 1744, 1746, 1748 management data (table)-   1752 in-system communication module-   1758 out-system communication module-   1764 communication module-   1766-1 to 1766-n different function module-   1768 communication module-   1770 radio-   1772 antenna-   1774 antenna connector-   1776 power supplier-   1778 external module connector-   1780 signal processor-   1782 in-system network line-   1788 out-system network line-   1790 memory-   1791 application change software-   1792 application storage-   1793 self attribution data-   1794 life management data-   1795 operation period management data-   1796 sensor module management data-   1797 actuator module management data-   1799 security target data-   1810 exchangeable data (table)-   1830, (ESV) network access control data-   1840, (EPC) identification information indicating exchangeable    information type-   1852 command (issuance of command)-   1854 result notification (status)-   1872 response request (request)-   1874 response-   1894 periodic/nonperiodic notification-   1900 state of division of areas such as main roads, piping of water    and sewage lines, power distribution lines, and communication cable    lines-   1914 physical layer frame generator-   1918 physical layer frame analyzer-   1924 address data generator-   1928 address data extractor-   1934 contents configurator-   1938 contents extractor-   1940 address data interface-   1950 contents data interface-   1960 processor-   2002 communication module-   2030 processor-   2032 memory-   2082 in-domain network line-   2100 detection of location of radio sender, radio strength, and    phase-   2310 elapsed time-   2320 state item-   2330 state probability-   2340 user action item-   2350 user action probability-   2360 user request item-   2370 user request probability-   2600 unit management virtual drive-   2610 list data folder-   2612 device folder-   2614 combination module folder-   2616-1 to 2616-m unit management folder in section-   2622 sensor combination module folder-   2624 actuator combination module folder-   2626 processor combination module folder-   2628 data storable combination module folder-   2630 different function combination module folder-   2634 binary data folder-   2638 multivalued data folder-   2710 antenna-   2720 amplifier and signal processing circuit-   2730 stealth plate-   2734 metal plate layer 2734 with the minutely uneven frontside-   2738 weak conductive organic layer 2738 with the minutely uneven    front and back sides-   2760 parabola antenna-   2800 incident radio wave-   2920 resistor-   2940-1, 2940-2 voltage differentiator-   2960 accumulator-   3010 processor (hardware)-   3012 busline-   3014 recording medium (hardware)-   3015 in-system connection-capable data communication executor-   3016 data communication executor-   3017 out-system connection-capable data communication executor-   3018 connector-   3020 Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) control area-   3022 device driver area-   3021 in-system connection-capable communication controller-   3024 recording medium controller-   3025 in-system connection-capable communication driver area-   3026 communication driver area-   3027 out-system connection-capable communication driver area-   3028 communication controller-   3029 out-system connection-capable communication controller-   3030 operating system (OS) layer-   3034 management/control area of in-system unit (virtual device    driver area)-   3040 API command exchangeable boundary line-   3045 application programming interface (API) command-   3050 application software-   3120 JVM (Java Virtual Machine)-   3140 method group relating to management/control of units-   3144 instance method group in the file class-   3148 main method-   3150 management/control class in the in-system unit-   3154 file class-   3158 application class-   3160 class group-   3170, 3174 import-   3188 program step-   3190, 3194 reference-   3501 inside area of a supermarket-   3502 cash resistor area of a supermarket-   3503 exit area of a supermarket-   3505 shoes-   3506 milk-   3507 bag-   3511 a, 3511 b cash register-   3512 monitoring device-   3521 refrigerator-   3522 system controller-   3523 combination module (unit)-   3525 display-   3531 combination module (unit)-   3532 system controller-   3533 smartphone-   3540 wall to be inspected-   3541 a, 3541 b, 3541 c steel frame-   3542, 3543 combination module (unit)-   3542 a, 3543 b antenna of combination module (unit)-   3545 inspection vehicle-   3546 system controller-   3548 pipes such as gas pipe, water pipe, and hydrant pipe-   3549 combination module (unit)-   3550 greenhouse-   3551 system controller-   3552 monitoring camera-   3553 a, 3553 b, 3553 c monitoring board including combination    modules-   3554 combination module (unit)-   3560 bed for patient-   3561 medical-instruments box-   3560 a, 3561 a, 3565 a combination module (unit)-   3562 system controller-   3565 weapon such as a knife-   3567, 3568 airport-   3569 plane-   3570 passenger-   3570 a, 3573 a combination module (unit)-   3571, 3572 system controller-   3573 carrier bag-   3581 system controller-   3581 a internet connection unit-   3581 b protocol identifier-   3581 c communication standard identifier-   3581 d data processor-   3581 e data detector-   3581 f communication standard matching format setting unit-   3581 g internet matching data output unit-   3583 combination module-   3584 a access point-   3584 b base station-   3585 internet-   ADRSIEEE IEEE802.15.4 conformable per-chip address (eight bytes)-   APL02, APL06 communication middleware layer-   APLDT communication middleware data-   CEDT extended transmitting data-   CM-1 first control/management information-   CM-n n-th control/management information-   CMI control/management relating information-   CMTID combination module type identifier-   CMST structure information on combination module-   CRC Cyclic Redundancy Code-   CT2DT binary transmission data-   CTMDT multi-valued transmission data-   DEXADRS receiver IEE extension address-   DEOJ receiver device identification data (three bytes)-   DIDC (device identification code among the same device type)-   DIPADRS receiver IP address (sixteen bytes)-   DPANID receiver PAN-unique identification data-   DTC device type code (one byte)-   DTGC device type group code (one-byte)-   E-DT E-format data (exchangeable data 1810)-   E-HD E-format header [1×81h]-   EDT individual exchangeable data (PDC designated size)-   EPC, (1840) exchangeable data type identification data (one byte)-   ESV, (1830) communication access control data (one byte)-   EXADRS IEEE extension address-   EXDT extension data-   EXEXADRS expanded IEEE extension address-   EXL06 extension application layer-   FC1-FC5, FD1-FD5 combination module (unit)-   HPLMT data of remaining number of passable nodes (hop limit) (one    byte)-   IPADRS IP address-   IPCLS communication class data (one byte)-   IPLBL communication type label data (2.5 bytes)-   IPPKT IP packet related data (eight bytes)-   IPv6 internet protocol version 6 layer-   IPv6DU IPv6 data/payload-   IPv6HD IPv6 header-   IPVRS version data (four bits)-   LIPv6DU Length data of IPv6 data/payload (two bytes)-   LPSDU length data of physical layer data/payload (one byte)-   MAC02, MAC06 media access layer-   MACHD MAC layer header-   MACNTL control data of MAC layer frame (two bytes)-   MADRS address data-   MASQNM sequence number of MAC layer (one byte)-   MPDU MAC layer frame-   MSDU (medium access layer data/payload)-   MST module structure data (one bit)-   NCM number of control/process (one byte)-   NXHD (next header information to identify the type of header    immediately following the IPv6-   header)-   PANID PAN unique identification data-   PDC data size of individual exchangeable data (one byte)-   PHY02, PHY06 physical layer-   PHYHD physical layer header-   PPDU physical layer frame-   PRM preamble (four bytes) [00000000h]-   PSDU physical layer data/payload-   SEOJ sender identification data (three bytes)-   SEXADRS (source IEEE extension address)-   SFD physical layer frame initialization data (one byte) [A7h]-   SIPADRS sender IP address (sixteen bytes)-   SIPHD first data-   SPANID source PAN identifier-   SYNC (synchronization header)-   TCPDU (transmission control protocol data/payload)-   TCPHD (transmission control protocol)-   TID request-response association identification data (two bytes)

1. An electronic appliance control method which conforms to an operationmode of an electronic appliance having a communication function, themethod comprising: setting the electronic appliance to an inactive modeor a silent mode.
 2. The electronic appliance control method of claim 1,wherein an operation mode of an electronic appliance related device ischanged before the operation of the electronic appliance is started, andthe change of the operation mode of the electronic appliance relateddevice is undone after the operation of the electronic appliance isterminated.
 3. The electronic appliance control method of claim 2,wherein the electronic appliance corresponds to a robot cleaner, theelectronic appliance related device corresponds to at least one of anair conditioner, television, and illumination device, and the electronicappliance is set to the inactive mode or the silent mode while theelectronic appliance related device is in operation.
 4. The electronicappliance control method of claim 1, wherein the operation mode of theelectronic appliance is determined based on human presence or windpresence in the proximity of the electronic appliance.
 5. The electronicappliance control method of claim 4, wherein the electronic appliance isset to the inactive mode or the silent mode when a person is present orwind flows in the proximity of the electronic appliance.
 6. Theelectronic appliance control method of claim 4, wherein the operationmode of the electronic appliance is determined based on a wind presence.7. The electronic appliance control method of claim 6, wherein theelectronic appliance is set to the inactive mode or the silent mode whenwind flows.
 8. An electronic appliance control device related to anoperation mode of an electronic appliance having a communicationfunction, the electronic appliance control device configured to set theelectronic appliance to an inactive mode or a silent mode.
 9. Theelectronic appliance control device of claim 8, wherein the electronicappliance control device is included in the electronic appliance. 10.The electrode appliance control device of claim 8, wherein theelectronic appliance control device is positioned outside the electronicappliance.